ILLINOIS  HISTORICAL  SURVEY 


jtn 


They  do  rest  from  their  labors, 
and  their  works  do  follow  them. 


COMPLIMENTS     OF 

LEWIS  G.  STEVENSON. 


They  do  rest  from  their  labors, 
and  their  works  do  follow  them* 


£> 


.'u 


LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON 
1843-1913 


EWING  STEVENSON 
1835-1914 


Mrs.  Letitia  Green  Stevenson  was  born  January  8th,  1843 
at  Allegheny,  Pennsylvania,  where  her  father,  Dr.  Lewis  War- 
ner Green,  was  president  of  the  Presbyterian  Theological 
Seminary.  Her  mother  was  Mary  Fry  Green. 

When  Mrs.  Stevenson  was  but  a  small  child,  her  parents 
removed  to  Danville,  Ky.,  where  her  father  became  the  presi- 
dent of  Center  College,  and  there  she  lived  to  young  woman- 
hood. It  was  there  she  met  Mr.  Stevenson,  who  afterward 
became  her  husband.  Her  father  was  a  scholarly  man,  hav- 
ing been  educated  abroad,  which  was  an  unusual  attainment 
at  that  time. 

On  reaching  young  womanhood,  Mrs.  Stevenson's  edu- 
cation was  broadened  by  a  course  at  a  school  at  Walnut  Hill, 
near  Lexington,  Ky.,  and  later  in  New  York. 


FROM  MRS.  STEVENSON'S  MEMOIRS 

' '  The  incident  of  my  girlhood  days  which  made  the  most  pro- 
found impression  was  the  attempted  secession  of  the  Southern 
States  from  the  Federal  Union  in  1861;  the  attack  upon  Fort 
Sumter,  and  the  inauguration  of  the  Civil  War. 

Our  home,  at  that  time,  was  in  Danville,  Kentucky,  the  bor- 
der line  between  the  conflicting  forces.  My  father  was  then  Pres- 
ident of  Center  College,  and  an  ardent  Union  man.  However,  his 
heart  turned  with  solicitude  towards  his  students,  many  of  whom 
were  from  the  South  and  joined  the  southern  army.  The  exigen- 
cies of  guerrilla  warfare  placed  us  at  the  mercy  of  the  constantly 
changing  bands  of  marauders,  while  the  Federal  and  Confeder- 
ate troops  took  turns  in  occupying  the  town.  At  no  time,  how- 
ever, during  the  four  years  were  we  greatly  intimidated  or 
harmed.  In  the  army  on  either  side  were  our  nearest  of  kin  and 
dearest  of  friends,  and  we  felt  and  were  safe  under  their  consid- 
erate protection. 

"At  the  outset  of  the  war  I  was  at  Miss  Haynes'  School,  No. 
10  Gramarcy  Park,  New  York  City.  I  returned  home  to  find  the 
college,  as  well  as  every  public  building,  converted  into  barracks 
or  hospitals.  In  the  wake  of  the  dreadful  war  soon  followed  sor- 
row, sickness,  desolation  and  death.  Though  these  terrible  days 
can  never  be  forgotten,  we  are  thankful  to  an  over-ruling  provi- 
dence for  a  re-united  country,  and  for  the  belief  that  the  ties  of 
kinship  and  friendship  are  perhaps  stronger  for  having  been  so 
rudely  sundered  for  a  time." 

On  the  death  of  her  father,  Mrs.  Stevenson  came  to  Illinois 
and  lived  at  Chenoa  with  her  sister,  Mrs.  Matthew  T.  Scott,  whose 


4  LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON 

husband  was  at  that  time  a  prominent  citizen  and  farmer.  She 
remained  there  until  her  wedding,  on  Dec.  20,  1866,  to  Mr.  Adlai 
E.  Stevenson,  then  a  rising  young  lawyer  of  Metamora,  the 
county  seat  of  Woodford  county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stevenson  lived  for  the  first  year  of  their  mar- 
ried life  at  Metamora,  and  then  Mr.  Stevenson,  having  formed  a 
law  partnership  with  his  cousin,  James  S.  Ewing,  removed  to 
Bloomington  and  began  that  career  of  professional  life  which 
was  to  be  marked  with  distinction. 

A  considerable  number  of  the  years  of  Mrs.  Stevenson's  life 
were  spent  in  Washington,  while  her  husband  was  occupying  posi- 
tions of  political  responsibility,  as  an  executive  in  the  postoffice 
department  and  as  vice-president.  She  also  traveled  abroad  with 
him  when  he  went  to  Europe  as  a  member  of  the  monetary  com- 
mission. In  these  years,  however,  she  always  returned  to  her 
home  city  whenever  the  opportunity  offered,  and  neither  emi- 
nence nor  widened  responsibilities  could  remove  from  her  affec- 
tions the  ties  which  bound  her  to  Bloomington. 

It  was  as  the  president  general,  the  highest  office  in  the  gift 
of  the  National  Society  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revo- 
lution,  that  Mrs.  Stevenson  achieved  perhaps  her  highest  per- 
sonal distinction.  She  served  four  times  in  that  high  office.  She 
was  elected  for  the  first  time  on  Feb.  22,  1893,  after  a  short  in- 
terim following  the  death  of  Mrs.  Benjamin  Harrison,  the  first 
president  general,  who  died  in  the  fall  of  1892.  She  was  re- 
elected  on  Feb.  22,  1894,  and  then  after  the  term  of  Mrs.  John  W. 
Foster,  which  followed  her  own,  Mrs.  Stevenson  was  chosen  to  the 
same  office  for  the  third  time,  on  Feb.  22,  1896,  and  again  in  1897. 

On  her  retirement  from  her  second  term,  in  1895,  the  congress 
of  the  D.  A.  R.  adopted  the  following  resolution :  "That  this  con- 
tinental congress  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion *  *  *  *  does  hereby  create  the  office  of  honorary  president 
general,  to  be  filled  only  by  retiring  presidents  general :  that 
Mrs.  Letitia  Green  Stevenson,  the  retiring  president  general,  be 
asked  to  accept  that  honorary  office." 

As  the  wife  of  the  vice-president  of  the  United  States  for  four 
years,  from  1893  to  1897,  Mrs.  Stevenson  occupied  a  position  of 
social  prominence  in  the  nation's  capital  which  required  womanly 
qualities  of  the  highest  type  to  acceptably  and  creditably  fill. 
That  she  more  than  met  the  expected  duties  and  responsibilities 
was  testified  by  the  large  circle  of  eminent  women  with  whom 
she  in  those  years  mingled.  She  presided  at  the  head  of  Mr. 
Stevenson's  Washington  home  with  that  graciousness  and  poise 
which  could  spring  only  from  inborn  aristocracy,  in  the  truest 
sense  of  that  word. 

On  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Stevenson  from  the  vice-presidency, 
he  and  Mrs.  Stevenson  returned  again  to  Bloomington,  where 


LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON  $ 

Mrs.  Stevenson  found  it  her  delight  to  live  and  work  in  the  inter- 
est of  the  best  in  the  community. 

As  the  former  head  of  the  society  of  the  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution,  there  is  considerable  interest  in  the  gen- 
ealogical line  from  which  Mrs.  Stevenson  sprang. 

She  was  a  descendant  of  Joshua  Fry  and  Capt.  James  Speed, 
of  Virginia,  and  Dr.  Thomas  Walker,  of  Kentucky.  Joshua  Fry 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Continental  service.  Capt.  Speed  was  shot 
thru  the  body  at  Guilford.  He  recovered  and  moved  to  Ken- 
tucky in  1872,  and  took  part  in  the  formation  of  that  state.  Dr. 
Thomas  Walker  was  commissary  general  of  the  Virginia  troops 
in  the  Braddock  campaign  in  1870.  During  the  revolution  he 
was  a  member  of  the  house  of  burgesses.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
explorers  of  Kentucky. 

Mrs.  Stevenson's  mother  was  the  daughter  of  Thomas  Walker 
Fry  and  Elizabeth  Smith  Fry. 

Thomas  W.  Fry  was  the  son  of  Joshua  and  Peachy  Walker 
Fry.  Joshua  Fry  was  born  about  1760,  served  as  a  lad  in  the 
revolutionary  war,  and  after  the  war,  moved  to  Kentucky  and 
engaged  in  teaching  his  own  and  his  neighbors'  children.  He  was 
of  distinguished  education  for  a  man  of  that  time.  Peachy 
Walker,  who  married  Joshua  Fry,  was  the  daughter  of  Dr. 
Thomas  Walker,  who  occupied  many  positions  of  honor  in  the 
earlier  history  of  the  colony  and  was  known  as  a  skillful  and 
scientific  engineer.  He  was  intimately  associated  in  private  and 
public  relations  with  George  Washington  and  Thomas  Jefferson ; 
was  the  guardian  of  Jefferson,  a  member  of  the  Virginia  house 
of  burgesses,  and  of  the  committee  of  safety,  member  of  the  Vir- 
ginia convention  of  1789  to  consider  the  constitution;  commis- 
sioner to  survey  the  boundary  line  between  Virginia  and  North 
Carolina,  known  as  "Walker's  line." 

Of  all  the  characteristics  of  Mrs.  Stevenson's  life,  none  were 
better  recognized  nor  will  be  longer  remembered  by  those  of  the 
circle  of  friends  who  knew  her  best,  than  her  eminence  as  a  home 
maker.  The  Stevenson  home  has  for  years  been  a  model  of  the 
best  and  true  in  domestic  regulations,  as  all  well  knew  who  have 
been  brought  within  the  reach  of  its  uplifting  influence  and  its 
.hospitable  charm.  It  has  been  a  home  where  husband  and  wife 
vied  one  with  the  other  in  that  true  courtesy  which  is  the  heart  of 
kindliness  and  respect,  and  the  children  gave  to  the  parents  that 
filial  honor  and  deference  which  form  the  seeds  of  right  living 
in  maturer  years.  To  her  as  to  few  women  has  fallen  the  part 
of  walking  side  by  side  with  her  husband  in  his  political  activi- 
ties, while  at  the  same  time  sustaining  so  well  her  more  truly 
feminine  duties.  And  whether  the  successive  political  campaigns 
ended  in  victory  or  defeat,  Mrs.  Stevenson's  cheerfulness  and 
poise  were  always  undisturbed. 


O  LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON 

The  chapter  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  in 
this  city  was  organized  at  a  meeting  called  by  Mrs.  Stevenson  at 
her  own  home.  There  were  eighteen  women  present  at  the  first 
meeting.  The  chapter,  when  its  charter  was  secured,  was  given 
the  name  of  the  woman  who  was  chiefly  instrumental  in  its  f  orm- 
.ation. 

Mrs.  Stevenson  was  made  the  first  president  of  the  Woman's 
club  of  this  city,  a  position  which  she  held  for  four  years.  She 
called  the  first  meeting  for  the  organization  of  the  Day  Nursery, 
&nd  was  active  in  that  philanthropy  until  her  health  failed.  She 
was  long  a  member  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  church,  and  was 
active  in  the  home  and  foreign  missionary  societies.  Several  years 
ago  Mrs.  Stevenson  organized  a  local  chapter  of  the  Army  and 
Navy  league,  and  was  its  first  president. 

During  the  period  of  her  illness  this  community  and  her  many 
friends  thruout  the  country  had  awaited  news  from  Mrs.  Stev- 
enson's bedside  with  anxiety  and  the  daily  hope  that  it  might 
be  of  more  hopeful  tone.  The  width  of  her  circle  of  friends,  and 
the  love  in  which  she  was  everywhere  held,  was  illustrated  by  the 
daily  and  numerous  tokens  of  flowers  which  came  to  her  home. 
The  rooms  were  almost  constantly  supplied  with  a  profusion  of 
beautiful  bouquets,  some  of  them  from  long  distances,  and  each 
testifying  to  the  thoughtful  remembrance  of  a  friend  and  the 
wish  that  their  fragrance  and  beauty  might  brighten  and  cheer 
the  patient  sufferer. 

The  passing  of  Mrs.  Stevenson  takes  from  the  life  of  this  city 
a  woman  whose  position  has  been  one  of  prominence,  and  whose 
name  and  ability  are  known  and  recognized  thruout  the  state  and 
nation. 

EDITORIAL  IN  THE  BLOOMINGTON  BULLETIN,  DECEMBER  26 

We  often  speak  of  the  first  lady  of  the  nation  or  state  in  allud- 
ing to  the  wife  of  the  president  or  governor,  and  in  the  death  of 
Mrs.  Adlai  E.  Stevenson,  Bloomington  has  lost  its  ranking  repre- 
sentative, yet  in  the  absence  of  Mrs.  Stevenson  we  shall  first 
mourn  the  wife,  mother,  neighbor  and  friend. 

Mrs.  Stevenson,  whose  splendidly  rounded  life  closed  last 
night,  had  been  a  national  figure,  both  as  the  wife  of  a  distin- 
guished public  man  and  also  as  a  natural  leader  in  large  activi- 
ties. Residence  in  Washington  as  the  wife  of  a  congressman,  as- 
sistant postmaster  general  and  vice-president,  gave  avenue  for 
the  impression  on  contemporaneous  American  life  of  a  charming 
personality,  and  association  in  the  highest  capacity  with  the 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  gave  evidence  of  great 
executive  and  constructive  ability. 

But  as  great  and  just  as  has  been  Bloomington 's  pride  in  Mrs. 
Stevenson  as  a  national  figure,  it  has  been  in  her  home  life  and 


LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON  7 

unaffected  democracy  of  sympathy  and  association  with  the  old 
neighbors  that  Bloomington  loved  and  honored  her  most,  and 
that  is  why  there  are  today  so  many  moist  eyes  beyond  the  fam- 
ily circle. 

Deepest  sympathy  goes  out  to  Mr.  Stevenson.  The  former 
vice-president  has  ever  been  a  lover  of  home  and  the  beautiful 
companionship  with  his  wife  has  been  nothing  short  of  the  imag- 
inative ideal  of  romance,  so  rarely  realized  in  every  day  life. 


The  last  honors  from  those  who  had  known  her  long  and  loved 
her  much,  were  paid  to  Mrs.  Adlai  E.  Stevenson  on  Sunday  after- 
noon, December  28,  1913,  in  rites  at  the  Second  Presbyterian 
church,  ere  the  mortal  part  was  consigned  to  the  inevitable  "dust 
to  dust." 

The  funeral  services  were  held  in  the  church  where  she  had  at- 
tended worship  for  many  years.  The  attendance  of  friends  was 
ample  testimony  to  the  wide  circle  of  friends  in  this  city,  and 
many  people  were  here  from  other  cities.  The  auditorium  was 
filled  during  the  services. 

The  whole  pulpit  platform  was  one  immense  bank  of  flowers, 
each  piece  being  a  testimonial  of  love  from  some  friend  or  some 
society.  The  casket  rested  at  the  chancel  almost  hidden  in  this 
wealth  of  floral  offerings. 

Members  of  Letitia  Green  Stevenson  chapter  of  the  Daughters 
of  the  American  Revolution  assembled  to  the  number  of  nearly 
a  hundred  and  were  seated  together  at  the  front  of  the  church. 
This  is  Mrs.  Stevenson's  home  chapter,  bearing  her  own  name, 
and  from  which  she  arose  to  become  the  head  of  the  national  so- 
ciety during  four  terms. 

The  services  were  impressive.  After  an  invocation  by  Eev. 
J.  N.  Elliott,  the  pastor,  several  appropriate  passages  of  scrip- 
ture were  read  by  Rev.  Martin  D.  Hardin  of  the  Third  Pres- 
byterian church  in  Chicago,  who  is  a  son-in-law  of  Mrs.  Steven- 
son. Dr.  Elliott  and  Rev.  Mr.  Hardin  then  each  paid  short  trib- 
ute to  Mrs.  Stevenson,  and  the  services  were  dismissed  with  the 
benediction  by  Rev.  M.  Hardin. 

DR.  ELLIOTT'S  ADDRESS 

Rev.  J.  N.  Elliott  spoke  as  follows :  "In  the  home  she  loved, 
in  the  city  which  she  also  loved,  with  dear  ones  near  at  hand,  at 
peace  with  God,  and  in  perfect  charity  with  the  world,  on  the 
evening  of  Christmas  day,  Mrs.  Stevenson  peacefully  fell  asleep. 
Succeeding  upon  the  suffering  of  many  weeks,  there  came  to  her 


8  LKTITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON 

repose  and  heavenly  rest.  During  her  long  illness,  daily  solici- 
tous inquiries  bespoke  the  earnest  wishes  of  her  many  friends 
that  she  might  recover  her  health,  and  that  her  life  might  be  pro- 
longed. But  it  has  been  ordered  otherwise,  and  to  the  great  sor- 
row of  her  beloved  ones  is  added  the  sorrow  of  hosts  of  friends, 
both  in  her  home  city  and  thruout  the  land,  that  she  has  been 
taken  away. 

' '  She  was  a  woman  greatly  beloved.  Whether  amidst  the  ac- 
tivities of  public  life,  with  its  many  responsibilities  and  exactions, 
or  in  the  quieter  circle  of  old  friends  and  neighbors ;  whether  as 
president  general  of  a  great  patriotic  society,  or  in  quiet  attend- 
ance upon  a  home  or  foreign  missionary  meeting,  or  teaching  a 
class  in  Sunday  school,  as  she  formerly  used  to  do,  she  was  always 
the  same  capable,  sympathetic,  kind-hearted,  helpful  Mrs.  Stev- 
enson, endearing  herself  to  all  by  her  graciousness  and  amiability 
and  by  the  nobleness  of  her  life  and  character. 

' '  Gifted  with  splendid  mental  endowments,  she  added  talent 
to  talent  and  grace  to  grace,  until  one  beheld  in  her  the  fulfilment 
of  the  poet's  tribute  to  his  queen : 

"  'A  thousand  claims  to  reverence  closed  in  her,  as  mother, 
wife  and  queen. ' 

' '  One  who  knew  her  well  said,  '  If  Mrs.  Stevenson  ever  spoke 
an  uncharitable  word  concerning  any  one,  it  had  never  come  to 
his  knowledge. '  Her  gentleness  made  her  strong,  and  her  strength 
made  her  gentle.  Serene  both  in  disappointment  and  victory, 
patient  in  suffering,  unfaltering  in  Christian  cheerfulness,  cour- 
ageous at  the  approach  of  death,  her  life  was  transparently  beau- 
tiful, filled  with  ministeries  of  comfort  and  abounding  in  good 
works. 

' '  She  was  above  all  a  loyal  and  devoted  wife  and  mother.  For 
forty-seven  years  she  and  her  honored  and  now  sorely  bereaved 
husband  walked  life's  pathway  in  mutual  love  and  helpfulness, 
and  the  surviving  children  whom  God  gave  to  them,  live  to 
call  them  blessed.  Besides  her  husband,  son,  two  daughters  and 
grandchildren,  of  her  father's  family  she  is  survived  by  one  sis- 
ter, Mrs.  Matthew  T.  Scott.  In  this  time  of  bereavement,  it  is 
their  priceless  privilege  to  look  up  thru  their  tears  and  thank 
God  for  the  gift  of  so  noble  a  wife,  mother  and  sister,  whose  home- 
love  and  companionship  made  life  radiant  with  happiness  and 
good  cheer. 

' '  Thruout  her  whole  life  Mrs.  Stevenson  was  a  sincere  Chris- 
tian. Her  Saviour,  her  Bible  and  her  church  were  ever  near  to 
her  heart.  With  large  experience  of  the  world  she  discerned 
and  valued  the  immeasurable  worth  of  Christian  truth  and 
Christian  living,  arid  with  unaffected  simplicity  she  walked  by 


LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON  9 

faith  in  the  Son  of  God.  Upon  this  Christian  faith  the  virtues 
and  graces  of  her  life  were  built,  and  in  the  comfort  of  this  faith 
she  gently  fell  asleep.  She  will  be  missed  more  than  we  can  pos- 
sibly express,  her  memory  will  live  as  an  example  of  all  that  is 
truly  great  and  noble  in  womanhood. 

"But  we  realize,  my  friends,  that  for  her  life  has  not  ended, 
but  only  begun.  Death  is  transition;  sleep  is  rest;  the  tomb  is 
the  gateway  into  the  larger  perfect  life.  The  power  of  death 
has  been  destroyed ;  victory  over  the  grave  is  certain. 

' '  On  this  side  of  the  border-land,  the  followers  of  Christ  use 
the  present  tense  when  they  say,  '  Thanks  be  to  God  who  giveth 
us  the  victory  thru  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.'  On  the  other  side, 
no  doubt  the  glorified  saints  use  the  past  perfect  tense,  and  say 
'  Thanks  be  to  God  who  has  given  us  the  victory  thru  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ. '  Spoken  in  tears,  it  may  be,  yet  we  are  able  to  say 
of  the  beloved  dead,  At  peace — God's  holy  peace.  Seen  as  in  a 
mirror  darkly,  yet  we  are  able  to  say  Light — God's  heavenly 
light.  Weary  and  heavy  laden,  we  may  hear  a  calm,  majestic, 
friendly  voice  saying,  '  Come  unto  me  and  I  will  give  you  rest. ' 

"  'Blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in  the  Lord  from  henceforth ; 
yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest  from  their  labors;  for 
their  works  follow  with  them. ' 

"At  evening  time,  no  gathering  night,  'It  shall  be  light.' 
God's  holy  light,  His  word  our  sight — At  evening  time. 

"At   evening   time   above   the   shroud  the   rain-bow   cloud. 
God's  pledge  of  care :  Trust  finds  Him  there. 

"At  evening  time  He  gives  repose  from  earthly  woes;  Why 
should  we  fear ;  Day-dawn  is  near — At  evening  time. ' ' 

EEV.  ME.  HAEDIN'S  TALK 

' '  The  good  and  beautiful  life  is  never  an  accident.  We  do  not 
live  in  a  chaotic  world  ruled  by  chance.  In  vain  we  look  for  the 
sixty-fold  harvest  on  the  wayside,  or  the  shallow  ground.  The 
fruitful  character  has  drawn  its  nourishment  from  the  eternal 
sunshine,  the  gracious  rain,  and  the  good  soil,  unchoked,  as  truly 
as  the  abundant  yield  in  nature  is  the  product  of  unimpeded, 
elemental  forces — with  this  difference  only :  in  nature,  choice  is 
not  there.  The  grain  is  passive.  It  has  no  will  of  its  own.  In 
personality,  the  fruitful  life  has  exercised  choice ;  has  listened  to 
reason  and  conscience;  has  willed  faith;  and  has  consciously 
chosen  to  be  responsive  to  God  and  the  gracious  influences  of  His 
divine  spirit.  Human  life  is  a  garden,  or  a  desert  waste,  just  as 
there  has  been  a  will  or  no  will  at  one  with  moral  truth  of  God. 
And  as  the  broadest  and  deepest  rivers  are  those  having  their 
source  high  up  amid  the  immaculate  snows  of  the  everlasting 
hills,  so  personality  is  broad  and  deep,  strong  and  beautiful,  joy- 


IO  LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON 

ous  and  life-giving,  just  as  it  remembers  its  eternal  source  and 
consciously  feels  itself  reaching  back  and  up  in  unbroken  con- 
tinuity to  God. 

THE  LITE  IDEAL 

"We  are  gathered  here  to  pay  honor  to  such  a  life.  A  life 
issuing  from  God,  a  life  never  forgetting  its  Source,  a  life  that 
was  as  silent  and  deep,  as  unostentatious,  and  almost  as  self -for- 
getful in  its  flowing  as  the  river ;  a  life,  along  whose  course  from 
the  beginning  to  its  union  with  the  great  sea,  flowers  of  love 
bloomed,  and  all  beautiful  deeds  of  kindness  sprung  into  being 
as  naturally  as  violets  grow  on  grassy  banks.  Knowing  Mrs. 
Stevenson,  as  it  was  my  blessed  privilege  to  know  her,  I  cannot 
but  feel  that  we  honor  her  most  acceptably  when  we  attempt  to 
meet  our  inevitable  grief  in  the  faith  by  which  she  lived.  When 
we  let  her  life  speak  to  us  of  those  deeper  realities,  on  which  her 
own  soul  rested,  and  out  of  the  personal  knowledge  of  which 
came  those  rare  and  beautiful  traits  of  character,  which  so  en- 
deared her  to  us  all.  Her  inheritance  was  a  noble  one.  Before 
her  had  gone  generations  of  God-fearing  fathers  and  mothers. 
She  was  a  child  of  the  covenant,  and  a  daughter  of  the  manse. 
Her  father,  Dr.  Lewis  W.  Green,  was  not  only  one  of  the  most 
gifted  ministers  of  his  generation  in  the  church,  brilliant  as  an 
orator  and  educator,  but  was  a  man  of  singularly  deep  religious 
life. 

' '  In  those  tender  years,  when  as  a  child  the  roots  of  character 
are  forming  Mrs.  Stevenson  grew  up  in  a  cultivated,  Christian 
home.  Religious  faith  and  trust  and  love  and  obedience  came  nat- 
urally to  her  as  things  beautiful  and  more  to  be  desired  than  ru- 
bies. These  were  inseparable  from  her  being,  and  came  to  hold  her. 
Her  character  was  the  outgrowth  of  a  life  hid  with  Christ  in  God. 
She  found  God  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  with  an  unwavering  faith 
committed  her  own  being  and  all  that  was  dear  to  her  to  His 
keeping.  She  hoped  to  find  no  more  precious  Saviour,  no  one 
whose  life  could  better  serve  as  Guide  to  heaven,  and  Comforter 
on  the  way  thither.  She  could  conceive  of  no  fuller  truth  of 
God  than  that  for  which  her  own  heart  aspired  when  she  prayed 
with  her  Lord,  'Our  Father,  which  art  in  heaven,  hallowed  be 
Thy  name,  Thy  kingdom  come,  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth,  as  it  is 
in  heaven. ' 

' '  To  know  the  will  of  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord,  Jesus 
Christ,  was  her  highest  hope ;  and  to  do  that  will,  her  joyous  daily 
task.  For  religion  with  her,  as  in  all  genuine  souls,  was  not  a 
thing  merely  to  be  talked  about,  or  speculated  over,  but  a  life  to 
be  lived;  a  life  of  the  Spirit,  radiating  happiness;  a  life  light- 
ening the  yoke  of  toil  and  the  dull  cares  of  the  day,  a  life  making 
the  home  a  home  indeed,  an  earthly  bit  of  heaven,  with  heaven 's 


LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON  I  I 

love  and  heaven's  peace,  resting  there  like  summer's  twilight;  a 
life  that  goes  out  beyond  the  home  in  gracious  unaffected,  neigh- 
borliness  to  rejoice  with  those  that  rejoice,  and  to  weep  with  those 
that  weep ;  a  life  that  knows  and  finds  its  share  of  all  those  works 
that  make  for  the  common  good  in  the  church,  the  city,  and  the 
world;  a  life  that  appreciates  such  personal  honors  as  come  un- 
sought, but  holds  these  at  their  true  value,  neither  exaggerating 
or  underestimating  their  significance;  a  life  that  meets  success 
without  undue  elation,  and  disappointments  and  sorrows  without 
being  utterly  cast  down — in  a  word,  a  life  which  seeks  to  live  over 
again,  by  faith,  here  amid  modern  conditions,  the  strong  and 
wise,  and  deathlessly  divine  life  of  Him  who  walked  in  Galilee, 
and  by  what  He  was  and  taught  and  did  has  brought  to  this  old 
tear-stained  earth  of  ours  all  that  it  knows  of  a  spirit  which  is  at 
rest  with  God. 

* '  This,  I  say,  was  the  conception  of  religion  which  was  at  the 
basis  of  Mrs.  Stevenson's  character.  How  well  she  realized  her 
ideal,  our  own  overflowing  hearts  today  bear  eloquent  testimony. 
To  those  of  us  who  knew  her  best,  she  was  as  one  set  apart ;  beau- 
tiful in  childhood,  rare  and  fragrant  in  girlhood,  radiant  in 
young  womanhood  and  dewy  as  the  breath  of  the  morning,  even 
when  her  hair  was  silvered.  As  child,  as  woman,  as  friend,  as 
daughter,  as  sister,  as  wife,  as  mother,  she  brought  only  happi- 
ness ;  she  gave  only  joy,  and  has  made  it  easier  for  us  all  to  be- 
lieve that  nothing  is  so  good  as  goodness ;  nothing  so  pays  as  kind- 
ness ;  nothing  so  radiates  as  faith ;  nothing  so  abides  as  love. 

' '  '  And  I  heard  a  voice  out  of  heaven,  saying  unto  me,  write ; 
blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord.  Yea,  saith  the  spirit, 
that  they  may  rest  from  their  labors ;  and  their  works  do  follow 
them. ' 

"  'I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life;  he  that  believeth  in 
me,  tho  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live;  and  whosoever  liveth, 
and  believeth  in  me,  shall  never  die. ' 

"  'And  there  shall  be  no  more  curse,  but  the  throne  of  God 
and  of  the  Lamb  shall  be  in  it,  and  His  servants  shall  serve  Him, 
and  they  shall  see  His  face,  and  His  name  shall  be  in  their  fore- 
heads. ' 

"  'And  there  shall  be  no  night  and  there  they  need  no  candles, 
neither  light  of  the  sun,  for  the  Lord  giveth  them  light,  and  they 
shall  reign  forever  and  ever. '  ' ' 


1 2  LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON 

IN  THE  ISSUE  OF  THE  DAUGHTERS  OF  THE  AMERICAN  REVOLU- 
TION MAGAZINE  FOR  JANUARY  1914,  APPEARED  THIS 
TRIBUTE  TO  MRS.  STEVENSON,  WRITTEN  BY  HER  NIECE, 
MRS.  JULIA  SCOTT  VROOMAN  (MRS.  CARL  VROOMAN) 

Mrs.  Letitia  Green  Stevenson,  wife  of  former  Vice-President 
Adlai  E.  Stevenson,  and  for  four  terms  President  General  of  the 
National  Society,  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution,  as  well 
as  its  first  Honorary  President  General,  passed  away  in  the  se- 
rene peace  of  a  deathless  Faith,  on  Christmas  night  at  her  home 
in  Bloomington,  Illinois. 

Of  distinguished  Revolutionary  ancestry,  Mrs.  Stevenson, 
through  Lawrence  Washington  and  Mildred  Washington,  his  wife 
was  a  lineal  descendant  of  Augustine  Warner,  the  grandfather  of 
George  Washington.  She  grew  to  girlhood  in  Danville,  Ken- 
tucky, where  her  father,  Dr.  Lewis  Warner  Green,  one  of  the 
most  brilliant  orators  and  scholars  of  the  South,  was  President 
of  Center  College.  On  December  20,  1866,  she  was  married  in 
Chenoa,  Illinois,  from  the  home  of  her  sister,  Mrs.  Matthew  T. 
Scott,  to  Mr.  Adlai  Stevenson.  Soon  after  their  marriage  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Stevenson  moved  to  Bloomington,  Illinois,  where  they 
have  since  made  their  home,  and  where  four  children  were  born 
to  them,  three  of  whom  survive  her,  Mr.  Lewis  Green  Stevenson, 
Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Pardons,  Mrs.  Martin  D.  Hardin,  wife 
of  a  distinguished  Chicago  clergyman,  and  Miss  Letitia  Steven- 
son. 

During  the  first  few  years  of  her  life  in  Bloomington,  Mrs. 
Stevenson  devoted  herself  wholeheartedly  and  entirely  to  her 
husband  and  children  and  friends.  When  later  she  went  to 
Washington  her  official  position  as  wife  of  a  Congressman,  As- 
sistant Postmaster  General  and  Vice-President,  gave  abundant 
opportunity  for  the  impression  upon  contemporaneous  American 
life  of  her  charming  personality,  while  the  four  years  of  her  wise 
and  inspiring  leadership  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Rev- 
olution furnished  striking  evidence  of  commanding  executive, 
diplomatic  and  constructive  ability. 

The  fact  that  Mrs.  Stevenson  and  Mrs.  Scott,  two  sisters  liv- 
ing in  the  same  town,  were  both  elected  and  reelected  to  the  high- 
est office  in  the  gift  of  women  of  America  is  unique  in  the  history 
of  our  organization,  while  their  splendid  administrations  have 
added  new  lustre  to  the  Society  which  has  so  signally  honored 
them. 

The  passing  of  our  beloved  second  President  General,  whose 
impress  on  this  Society  was  so  potent  in  its  formative  years,  and 
whose  love  and  interest  in  it  has  never  flagged,  will  bring  genuine 
grief  to  thousands  of  Daughters  all  over  this  country  who  had  an 
abiding  love  and  reverence  for  this  strong  and  gracious  spirit, 


liETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON  I  $ 

whose  life  was  a  supreme  embodiment  of  radiant,  self -forgetful 
womanhood.  Physically,  mentally  and  spiritually,  she  was  like 
a  flower.  To  her  it  was  natural  to  be  sympathetically  tactful  and 
wisely  helpful  to  all  with  whom  she  came  in  contact,  as  it  is  for  a 
rose  to  exhale  its  sweetness.  No  one  who  has  been  privileged  to 
know  her,  be  it  ever  so  slightly,  has  failed  to  feel — if  not  entirely 
to  comprehend — that  here  indeed  was  one  of  those  gifted  souls 
who  has  pushed  up  and  back  the  boundaries  of  our  poor  human 
nature  and  revealed  to  us  some  of  the  rarer,  higher  and  more 
exquisite  potentialities  of  the  race. 

Almost  the  last  act  of  Mrs.  Stevenson's  life  was  the  comple- 
tion of  a  history  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution, 
which  has  just  been  published.  A  concise,  impartial  and  illum- 
inating record,  this  little  book  goes  forth  bearing  her  farewell 
message  to  the  ' '  Daughters ' '  and  the  great  Society  she  loved  and 
served  with  such  a  lavish  measure  of  devotion. 


AT  THE  MEMORIAL  MEETING  HELD  IN  HONOR  OF  MRS.  STEVEN- 
SON BY  THE  NATIONAL  CONGRESS,  D.  A.  R.,  IN  MEMORIAL 
CONTINENTAL  HALL,  ON  TUESDAY  EVENING,  APRIL  21, 
1914,  MRS.  GEORGE  A.  LAWRENCE,  STATE  REGENT  OF  ILLI- 
NOIS, SPOKE  AS  FOLLOWS: 

In  the  little  town  of  Allegheny,  Pennsylvania,  Letitia  Green- 
Stevenson  was  born  in  January,  1843,  with  a  splendid  endow- 
ment of  heritage. 

Behind  her  as  she  lay  cradled  there  were  generation  after 
generation  on  both  sides  of  the  family  of  sturdy,  loyal,  educated, 
cultivated  and  progressive  ancestors,  and  the  potentialities  of  her 
future  career  were  very  great  to  her  at  the  very  dawn  of  life. 

Hers  was  a  lineage  most  royal  and  one  that  was  to  be  upheld 
as  became  a  queen. 

Her  father,  Dr.  Green,  when  she  was  but  a  child,  removed  to 
Danville,  Ky.,  to  assume  the  presidency  of  Center  College,  lo- 
cated at  that  place,  and  her  years  from  early  girlhood  to  young 
womanhood  were  passed  within  the  molding  and  controlling  in- 
fluence of  that  institution;  and  what  an  inspiration  for  uplift 
and  for  good  it  was  to  her,  and  to  the  great  number  of  her  con- 
temporaries that  thronged  its  halls  and  fell  within  its  benign 
influence!  I  venture  the  assertion  that  no  institution  of  any- 
where near  its  size  can  point  with  pride  to  a  more  distinguished 
alumni.  They  have  adorned  the  Bench,  National  and  State,  and 
given  dignity  to  the  Bar  of  the  entire  country.  They  have  added 
power  and  eloquence  to  the  Pulpit,  and  in  the  galaxy  of  Ameri- 
can divines  many  trace  back  to  that  institution.  Among  the 
alumni  of  this  college  may  be  found  six  Moderators  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  United  States ; 


14  LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON 

five  United  States  Senators;  two  Vice-Presidents  of  the  United 
States ;  one  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States ; 
a  number  of  Governors  of  States,  and  more  than  a  score  of  Col- 
lege Presidents.  It  has  added  to  the  refinement  and  culture  of 
the  entire  South  and  West,  and  still  lives,  a  monument  to  those 
men  and  women  that  gave  it  its  impulse  and  direction. 

Amid  such  influences,  under  such  inspirations,  can  it  be  won- 
dered that  the  bud  blossomed  into  the  perfect  flower?  It  was 
here  that  she  met  the  man,  then  a  student  at  Center  College, 
whom  she  afterwards  married.  Their  union  of  hearts  was  a  per- 
fect one.  Four  children,  three  of  whom  survive  her,  brought 
blessings  to  this  father  and  mother,  and  shed  the  sunshine  of  love 
into  their  home.  They  were  early  trained  to  honor  and  respect 
God,  Home  and  Country,  as  the  best  things  in  life,  and  are  now 
proving  themselves  worthy  of  esteem  both  in  their  public  and 
private  lives.  These  are  the  faithful  mother's  rewards,  for  the 
sacrifice  and  consecration  devoted  to  their  education  and  direc- 
tion that  began  at  the  mother's  knees. 

When  Mr.  Stevenson  was  called  to  the  National  Capital  the 
accumulated  treasures  of  mind  and  heart,  product  of  the  schol- 
arly environment  of  Center  College,  the  social  charms  of  her 
Kentucky  home,  and  the  practical  lessons  of  the  struggle  for 
home,  family  and  success  in  Illinois,  found  full  opportunity  for 
their  exercise,  and  we  find  her  filling  with  dignity,  grace  anl  suc- 
cess all  the  exacting  requirements,  both  social  and  political,  of 
her  position  at  Washington. 

Mrs.  Stevenson  was  always  to  be  found  at  the  side  of  her  hus- 
band. In  all  his  varied  activities,  social,  professional,  political 
and  official,  she  was  to  him  a  source  of  power  and  of  support. 
Cultured,  benign,  diplomatic,  in  any  and  every  crisis,  her  poise 
was  undisturbed.  The  rigid  requirements  of  high  official  posi- 
tion were  met  by  her,  with  unfailing  ability  and  distinction,  that 
could  only  have  been  possible  by  the  heredity  and  training  I  have 
mentioned. 

She  was  a  consistent  Christian  woman,  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  which  she  served  faithfully  in  all  its  lines  of 
activity  and  of  work;  the  mission  field,  Sabbath  School,  and 
other  means  of  uplift  and  work  for  God. 

Few  have  discerned  the  immeasureable  worth  of  Christian 
truth  and  Christian  living  as  did  Mrs.  Stevenson,  and  well  did 
she  in  God's  service  "fight  the  good  fight." 

And  now  I  am  come,  briefly,  to  speak  of  her  association  with 
our  own  beloved  organization,  the  Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution. 

Mrs.  President  Harrison  was  the  chosen  leader  in  the  ' '  Pion- 
eer days"  of  the  organization;  Mrs.  Stevenson  was  elected  Pres- 


LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON  I  5 

ident  General  in  1893  and  her  four-year  term  of  service  has  been 
fitly  called  the  "formative  period."  During  it,  was  established 
as  a  constitutional  principle,  that  the  lineal  and  not  the  collateral 
line  of  descent  should  be  the  sole  qualification  of  our  member- 
ship, and  she  attained  recognition  both  social  and  political  that 
has  remained  to  this  day.  During  the  year  1893-94  our  mem- 
bership increased  1,950 ;  during  the  year  1894-5,  3,488. 

It  was  during  this  "formative  period"  that  many  of  the  real 
things  for  which  we,  as  an  organization  stand,  were  suggested 
and  carried  on  to  successful  conclusion  or  very  materially  ad- 
vanced. Memorial  Hall  had  been  a  hope  and  dream  of  "the 
Pioneers."  Under  Mrs.  Stevenson  a  beginning  was  made  toward 
its  realization.  The  monument  to  the  memory  of  Washington  in 
Paris ;  to  the  Ship  Prison  Martyrs  in  New  York,  and  the  begin- 
ning of  legislation  for  the  protection  of  the  flag  were  a  part  of  her 
administration,  and  I  can  bring  no  higher  tribute  to  her  modesty 
and  fairness  than  to  mention  the  high  words  of  encomium  and  of 
praise  with  which  she  speaks  of  the  Daughters  who  as  a  commit- 
tee or  otherwise  brought  about  these  great  results.  A  real  gentle- 
woman! Determined  to  give  honor  where  honor  was  due.  In 
her  published  "Brief  History  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution, ' '  and  her  account  of  her  own  administration,  little  is 
said  of  what  she  did,  but  it  is  filled  with  grateful  and  hearty  rec- 
ognition of  what  her  committees  and  co-workers  did. 

This  little  book,  which  should  be  in  the  hands  of  every  Daugh- 
ter, was  her  last  work.  It  was  her  hope  expressed  in  the  fore- 
word, ' '  that  in  coming  years  when  my  pen  is  laid  aside,  and  my 
voice  is  still,  that  many  of  the  'Daughters'  will  turn  trustingly 
to  these  pages  for  facts"  *  *  *  * 

Her  pen  is  laid  aside  and  her  voice  is  stilled,  and  the  Daugh- 
ters will  not  only  turn  trustingly  to  her  for  facts,  but  for  new 
courage,  a  higher  purpose  and  a  more  exalted  consecration  and 
devotion  to  the  cause  she  served. 

The  title  of  Honorary  President  General  was  again  conferred 
upon  her  in  1898  and  from  that  time  until  her  death  she  has 
lived  and  served  in  honor  and  with  honor  among  us. 

She  belonged  to  this  work  by  the  very  nature  of  her  tem- 
perament and  endowment. 

Her  love  of  patriotism  came  next  to  her  God  and  her  family 
and  home.  To  the  good  and  growth  of  the  Daughters  she  gave 
her  best  contributions  of  business  judgment,  social  tact  and  pres- 
tige and  that  other  great  quality  of  love  towards  all,  that  made 
her  deeply  loved  and  the  loss  of  which  in  her  death  has  left  a 
void  that  never  can  be  filled :  and  when  her  Chapter  met  in  mem- 
orial services  after  her  death,  letters  of  appreciation  and  affec- 
tion came  to  them  from  every  side,  bearing  to  family  and  Chap- 
ter in  words  most  tender  and  most  beautiful  their  message  of  re- 
gret, of  admiration  and  of  love. 


1 6  LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON 

I  have  but  imperfectly  sketched  the  life  and  career  of  our 
Beloved.  She  belonged  to  her  family  and  home?  Yes!  she  be- 
longed to  her  Chapter  and  State?  Yes!  but  in  a  larger  sense 
she  belonged  to  the  Nation  and  we  can  and  do  all  feel  that  she 
was  ours. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  deep  impression  made  upon  my  mind 
and  heart  as  I  entered  the  great  church  at  her  home  city  where 
on  Sabbath  afternoon  her  funeral  services  were  held.  Packed  to 
the  doors  with  sympathetic  mourners  of  every  condition  and 
class,  for  her  death  was  not  a  loss  to  any  distinct  class  but  to  hu- 
manity. And  as  the  words  of  eulogy  and  appreciation  fell  from 
the  lips  of  pastor  and  of  funeral  orator,  a  hush  was  over  the 
great  audience  that  spoke  yet  more  eloquently  than  they,  of  the 
place  she  held  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  among  whom  she  lived 
and  whom  she  served.  It  was  an  hour  of  grief  and  yet  an  hour  of 
exaltation.  For  by  the  recital  of  her  virtues  and  her  victories 
were  others  inspired  likewise  to  achieve  the  crown  she  so  justly 
wears.  We  felt  that  on  the  birthday  of  our  King,  Mrs.  Letitia 
Green  Stevenson  heard  the  voice  we  could  not  hear,  saw  the  hand 
we  could  not  see,  but  as  we  waited  on  the  shores  of  the  eternal 
sea,  we  knew  the  Master  was  calling  her  and  that  her  hand 
rested  in  His.  At  eventide  her  eyes  saw  Heaven 's  glory  and  she 
was  at  rest  beneath  the  palms  of  Paradise. 

TESTIMONIAL  FROM  THE  WOMAN'S  CLUB 

The  following  testimonial  to  the  memory  of  Mrs.  Adlai  E. 
Stevenson  was  adopted  by  the  Woman 's  club  of  Bloomington  at  a 
regular  meeting  held  in  their  rooms  on  the  7th  day  of  January, 
1914. 

"It  is  most  appropriate  that  this,  the  Woman's  club  of  Bloom- 
ington, should  offer  its  tribute  of  honor,  appreciation  and  love  to 
the  memory  of  its  first  president,  *Mrs.  Adlai  E.  Stevenson,  who 
has  so  recently  been  taken  from  our  midst. 

"We  are  not  unmindful  of  the  fact  that  the  beautiful  life  and 
character  of  this  most  lovable  of  women  has  been  truly  and  elo- 
quently portrayed  both  by  pulpit  and  press,  and  all  that  has  been 
said,  the  members  of  this  club  most  feelingly  endorse,  realizing 
as  they  do  how  impossible  it  would  be  to  exaggerate  the  virtues 
of  this  noble  woman,  whose  kindly  heart  and  rare  intellectual  en- 
dowments made  her  the  charm  of  every  circle  in  which  she  moved. 
What  has  already  been  publicly  said,  leaves  us  to  speak  mainly 
of  her  relations  to  this  association. 

"This  club  was  organized  nearly  seventeen  years  ago,  at  a 
time  when  women  were  growing  more  and  more  eager  for  self- 
improvement,  and  were  beginning  to  realize  that  their  whole 
duty  was  not  done  when  they  looked  carefully  after  the  health 


LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON  1 7 

and  comfort  of  their  own  families  and  homes,  but  that  there  was 
a  great  outside  world  which  also  needed  their  services,  and  they 
were  learning,  too,  that  this  social  service  could  best  be  given 
through  organization.  In  preparing  a  constitution  and  forming 
this  organization,  Mrs.  Stevenson 's  wide  experience  as  president- 
general  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution,  her  famil- 
iarity with  parliamentary  rules  and  her  boundless  enthusiasm  in 
the  cause,  peculiarly  fitted  her  to  be  one  of  the  greatest  assistance 
in  the  work  to  be  accomplished.  For  her  services  in  this  regard, 
the  club  owed  her  a  debt  of  gratitude  which  could  not  easily  be 
paid.  During  the  four  years  that  she  honored  this  club  by  pre- 
siding over  its  meetings,  she  was  fair  and  just  to  all,  and  treated 
everyone  with  the  utmost  kindness  and  courtesy. 

"When  Mrs.  Stevenson  retired  from  active  official  duty  in 
the  club,  as  a  token  of  appreciation  for  her  invaluable  services 
and  esteem  for  her  many  virtues  of  both  head  and  heart,  she  was 
made  President  Emeritus,  by  unanimous  consent,  an  honor  that 
has  been  conferred  upon  no  other  president. 

"Throughout  a  long  and  eventful  life  our  beloved  friend  held 
many  important  official  and  social  positions,  and  it  is  known  to 
all  that  she  discharged  every  duty  that  came  to  her  with  ability, 
tact  and  kindness,  which  gained  for  her  a  distinction  throughout 
our  land  unsurpassed  by  any  other  woman  of  her  time.  While 
she  was  known  and  appreciated  by  the  intellectual  and  social 
circles  beyond  the  limits  of  her  own  state,  it  was  here  in  Bloom- 
ington,  at  her  own  home,  where  the  greater  part  of  her  beautiful 
life  was  spent,  that  she  was  most  dearly  loved  and  will  be  longest 
remembered. 

"The  members  of  this  club,  who  knew  her  so  intimately  and 
well,  are  deeply  grieved  at  her  death  and  join  with  those  nearest 
and  dearest  to  her  in  mourning  her  loss. ' ' 

GERTRUDE  L.  FIFER, 
MARIAN  SMITH, 
RUTH  MELLUISH, 

Committee. 

FROM  THE  D.  A.  R.  MAGAZINE,  MARCH,  1914 

Shortly  before  the  death  of  Mrs.  Adlai  E.  Stevenson,  former 
President  General  and  much  loved  and  honored  woman,  there 
came  from  the  press  a  little  book  which  reached  her  many  friends 
in  time  to  be  a  Christmas  greeting  and  a  farewell  remembrance 
from  one  who  had  started  on  the  Long  Journey. 

This  little  volume,  bound  in  the  blue  and  white  of  the  Na- 
tional Society,  is  a  brief  history  of  the  Society,  which  will  make 
for  itself  a  place  among  the  membership  of  the  organization  be- 
cause of  its  practical  worth,  as  well  as  through  the  admiration 


I  8  LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON 

so  many  felt  for  the  accomplished  author,  who  of  all  others  may 
be  said  to  have  possessed  the  intimate  knowledge  and  the  abil- 
ity so  blended  as  to  make  such  a  work  complete. 

The  book  is  concise  and  strong  in  its  brevity  and  at  the 
same  time  has  that  delightful  touch  of  personal  intimacy  which 
makes  each  page  a  friendly  message.  It  tells  of  the  matters 
and  things  that  will  not  only  interest  the  members  of  the  great 
and  widely  growing  organization,  but  any  one  who  cares  to 
know  of  the  forces  which  gave  birth  to  this  real  power  in  the 
world.  The  origin,  the  founders,  who  they  were  and  what 
were  their  lives  and  their  characteristics,  the  chief  incidents 
of  the  administration  of  each  President  General — these  are  all 
told  in  the  keen  cut  way  that  is  indicated  by  the  line  from 
Shakespeare  that  Mrs.  Stevenson  takes  for  the  motto  of  her 
book :  ' '  An  honest  tale  speeds  best,  being  plainly  told. ' ' 

In  a  gracefully  written  preface,  Mrs.  Stevenson  pointed  to 
her  readers  the  reasons  why  the  book  has  been  set  before  them. 
As  the  oldest  living  President  General  in  point  of  service  in  the 
National  Society,  and  the  second  to  hold  the  high  office,  it 
seemed  fitting  that  she  should  place  for  the  future  a  record 
that  should  briefly  embrace  the  more  important  points  in  the 
history  of  the  society.  She  had  not  intended  to  write  an  ex- 
haustive treatise  of  all  that  has  been  done  and  planned.  As 
she  says  in  her  preface : 

"Such  a  work  would  take  more  years  to  complete  than  re- 
main to  me  upon  earth,  and  tomes  of  ponderous  volumes  that 
no  mortal  in  these  strenuous  days  could  take  time  to  read.  It 
may  be  that  in  coming  years,  when  my  pen  is  laid  aside  and 
my  voice  is  still,  that  many  of  the  'Daughters'  will  turn  trust- 
ingly to  these  pages  for  facts,  which  I  shall  endeavor  to  make 
authentic.  In  a  spirit  of  perfect  fairness  and  impartiality,  at 
peace  with  all  the  world,  with  'malice  toward  none  and  charity 
for  all, '  I  transmit  to  the  future  as  well  as  to  the  present  mem- 
bers of  the  National  Society,  these  words  of  truth,  in  so  far  as 
I  have  been  able  to  gather  the  facts. ' ' 

The  book  is  dedicated  by  its  author  to  Letitia  Green  Stev- 
enson Chapter  of  the  D.  A.  R.  of  Bloomington. 

AT  A  MEETING  OF  THE  LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON  CHAPTER 
D.  A.  R.  HELD  IN  BLOOMINGTON,  JANUARY  8,  1914,  MRS. 
CAPEN  PRESENTED  AND  READ  THE  FOLLOWING  RESOLU- 
TIONS: 

"Your  committee,  appointed  to  prepare  and  present  a  trib- 
ute to  the  memory  of  Letitia  Green  Stevenson,  who,  on  Christ- 
mas night,  passed  to  the  better  land,  respectfully  report : 

"Our  chapter  was  organized  by  her  and  to  her  constant 
labors  and  oversight  we  are  brought  to  our  present  prosperity 


LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON  19 

and  enviable  position.  In  all  her  relations  of  life  she  was  a 
model  of  gentleness  and  grace,  the  ripest  product  of  southern 
and  western  culture  and  refinement — one  of  those  rare  spirits 
whom  Providence,  at  times  far  apart,  seems  to  delight  to  con- 
fer upon  a  community. 

"A  noble  woman,  nobly  planned, 
To  warn,  to  counsel,  to  command. ' ' 

"Hers  was  an  unfailing  dignity,  adorned  with  kindness,  wis- 
dom, courage,  and  high  regard  for  the  wishes  and  feelings  of 
others,  always  manifested  and  controlled  by  lofty  patriotic 
purpose. 

"It  has  been  said  the  greatest  of  earth's  benefactors  are 
the  founders  of  states.  The  same  is  true  of  the  one  who  laid 
the  foundations  and  built  the  superstructure  of  the  society  that 
bears  her  honored  name.  We  are  blessed  in  having  so  beau- 
tiful a  character  in  our  founder.  She  has  consecrated  and 
sanctified  our  work  for  all  to  come.  A  solemn  duty  is  placed 
upon  all  of  us  to  carry  on  what  she  has  begun,  to  see  to  it 
her  self-denying  efforts  shall  continue  to  bear  fruit  in  future 
days,  ever  to  look  up  to  her  as  an  example  of  all  that  is  true 
and  good,  ever  to  do  as  we  think  would  meet  her  approval,  were 
she  still  with  us — that  her  influence  shall  continue. 

"For  four  terms  the  highest  honor  of  the  National  Society 
of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  were  conferred 
upon  her.  The  great  success  that  crowned  her  efforts  was  due 
largely  to  her  unvarying  tact,  zeal  and  administrative  ability, 
but  more  than  all  to  personal  charm  of  mind  and  heart. 

"In  her  high  position,  in  public  and  in  private  life,  she 
always  lived  up  to  exalted  ideals,  and  enjoyed  the  complete  confi- 
dence of  every  one  who  had  the  privilege  of  her  acquaintance, 
hospitality  and  companionship." 

' '  The  worker  dies ;  her  work  remains. ' ' 

MRS.  JOHN  H.  BURNHAM 
MRS.  JONATHAN  H.  CHENEY 
MRS.  RALPH  E.  BROWN 
MRS.  CHARLES  L.  CAPEN. 


2O  LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON 

LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON  CHAPTER 

OF  THE 

DAUGHTERS  OF  THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION 


MEMORIAL  SERVICES 

OF 

MRS.  ADLAI  E.  STEVENSON 


A  memorial  service  commemorative  of  the  life  and  the  passing 
away  of  Mrs.  Adlai  E.  Stevenson  at  her  home  in  Bloomington, 
Illinois,  December  25,  1913,  was  held  at  the  home  of  her  sister, 
Mrs.  Matthew  T.  Scott,  Thursday  afternoon,  February  12,  1914. 
Mrs.  Sain  "Welty,  chairman  of  the  Memorial  Committee,  presided. 
The  letters  were  read  by  different  members  of  the  Chapter. 

Mrs.  Welty: — Dear  friends  and  the  Letitia  Green  Stevenson 
Chapter,  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution:  We  are  gath- 
ered today  in  loving  reverence  to  pay  tribute  to  one  whose  name 
we  have  the  great  honor  and  privilege  to  bear — Letitia  Green 
Stevenson.  As  a  woman  her  life  was  a  constant  expression  of  all 
that  was  true  and  noble ;  as  an  officer,  and  member  of  our  organi- 
zation, her  loyalty  and  faithful  service  will  ever  be  a  source  of 
inspiration  to  us. 

Dr.  J.  N.  Elliott  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Bloomington  offered  prayer. 

MRS.  HARVEY  O.  DE  MOTTE,  WHO  SERVED  AS  THE  THIRD  RE- 
GENT OF  THE  CHAPTER,  TOLD  OF  MRS.  STEVENSON'S  PART 
IN  THE  FORMATION  OF  THE  CHAPTER 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  Letitia  Green  Stevenson  Chapter, 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution,  owes  not  only  its  name, 
but  also  its  very  existence  to  the  beloved  one  in  whose  memory 
we  are  met  this  afternoon,  it  seems  eminently  proper  that  a  brief 
history  of  the  organization  of  this  chapter  be  given  at  this  time. 

During  the  early  years  of  the  organization  of  the  National 
Society  of  the  D.  A.  R.,  Mrs.  Stevenson,  as  wife  of  the  Vice- 
President  of  the  United  States,  resided  in  Washington.  It  was 
also  during  her  residence  there  that  the  honor  of  being  elected 
President  General  of  the  National  Society  of  the  D.  A.  R.  came 
to  her. 

Mrs.  Stevenson,  having  the  blood  of  the  heroes  of  the  Revolu- 
tion in  her  veins,  and  being  moved  by  a  desire  that  the  women  of 
her  beloved  home  city  should  be  recognized  as  second  to  none  in 


LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON  2  I 

the  land  in  patriotism  and  loyalty  to  the  true  principles  of  pa- 
triotism, on  her  return  home  called  a  public  meeting  for  ladies,  to 
be  held  at  her  home,  for  the  purpose  of  explaining  to  them  the 
object  of  the  Society  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion, and  the  extent  of  its  work  during  the  past  three  years. 

A  large  number  of  ladies  responded  to  the  call.  They,  real- 
izing that  "reform  in  patriotic  reverence  and  sentiment  was  an 
actual  need  in  the  American  home,"  and  believing  that  women 
should  have  a  large  part  in  bringing  about  such  a  reform,  de- 
cided at  once  to  organize  a  Chapter. 

In  a  short  time,  fourteen  ladies  had  proved  their  eligibility  to 
membership  and  the  application  for  permission  to  organize  a 
Chapter  was  forwarded  to  the  National  Society  in  "Washington. 

To  Mrs.  Dr.  Parke  belongs  the  honor  of  proposing  the  name 
of  Letitia  Green  Stevenson  to  be  the  name  of  the  newly  organized 
chapter. 

Our  chapter  is  unique  in  being  the  only  one  which  for  many 
years  bore  the  name  of  the  person  still  living  for  whom  it  was 
named.  It  was  undoubtedly  the  leadership  and  influence  of  Mrs. 
Stevenson  which  gave  our  chapter  the  prestige  it  has  held  from 
the  beginning.  With  queenly  bearing  Mrs.  Stevenson  often  stood 
in  our  midst  to  counsel  and  encourage,  and  always  with  that  calm 
dignity  that  commands  respect,  holds  the  attention,  and  at  the 
same  time  wins  the  love  of  all. 

With  the  inspiration  of  such  a  leader  surely  only  the  highest 
ideals  and  purest  motives  should  ever  control  the  workings  of 
this  chapter. 

TRIBUTE  BY  MBS.  ERNEST  MAMMEN,  REGENT  OF  THE  CHAPTER 

Today,  though  I  greatly  regret  my  inability  to  be  with  you  in 
person,  I  am  indeed  with  you  in  spirit. 

From  out  our  broad  land  have  come  numerous  messages  of 
love  and  praise,  tributes  from  friends  and  fellow  workers  of  our 
beloved  and  lamented  Honorary  President  General,  Mrs.  Adlai 
E.  Stevenson. 

These  expressions  denote  but  in  a  small  way  the  far  reaching 
extent  of  her  sweet  influence.  While  from  North,  South,  East, 
and  West,  come  messages  of  love  for  her  with  sorrow  for  her  loss, 
we,  of  her  own  chapter,  mourn  her  loss  as  the  inner  circle,  the 
home  of  friends  in  whose  hearts  she  is  forever  enshrined. 

We,  Daughters  of  Letitia  Green  Stevenson  Chapter,  can  in 
no  way  do  too  great  honor  to  the  sacred  memory  of  her  whose 
name  we  bear. 

Her  spirit  of  patriotism  inspired  the  organization  of  this  chap- 
ter, whose  interest  she  always  bore  upon  her  mind  and  heart. 
Constantly  forgetful  of  herself  and  oftentimes  at  a  sacrifice  of 
her  own  physical  strength,  she  helped  us  in  many  ways,  and  was 


22  LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON 

always  determined  to  give  her  best.  Her  ear  was  ever  alert  to 
hear  our  needs,  her  wise  counsel  always  given.  She  not  only 
loved  the  work.  She  loved  us. 

How  often  have  we  been  the  happy  recipient  of  her  kind  and 
gracious  hospitality,  in  her  own  beautiful  and  well  ordered  home. 
How  often  by  her  gentle  loving  words,  were  we  cheered  and 
strengthened,  leaving  her  presence  with  feelings  of  gratitude,  rev- 
erence and  love,  for  her  who  was  not  only  the  center  and  joy  of 
our  chapter,  but  also  of  her  peaceful  home.  From  her,  we  gained 
inspiration  for  greater  effort,  for  better  home  making,  for  broad- 
er charity. 

Her  loyalty  to  the  high  principles  of  patriotism  and  good  citi- 
zenship, and  to  many  lines  of  work  for  which  our  organization 
stands,  her  persistent  effort,  her  faithfulness  to  duty,  and  deep 
love  for  home  and  family  ties,  her  splendid  devotion  to,  and  pride 
in,  the  achievements  of  her  honored  sister,  her  devotion  to  our 
chapter,  all  these  should  be  and  are  to  us  an  inspiration.  Her 
gracious  influence  lives  on  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  love  her. 

Her  last  and  crowning  act  of  love  and  loyalty  to  us  was  the 
dedication  to  this  chapter  of  that  into  which  she  had  worked  her 
best  thought  and  effort,  her  beautiful  book.  This  may  be  to 
each  of  us  an  ever  present  reminder  of  her  life,  which  was  in  the 
painful  hours  of  the  last  hard  months,  as  well  as  in  the  brighter 
days  spent  in  loving  thoughtfulness,  in  self-sacrifice  for  the  good 
of  those  she  loved,  the  beautiful  life  of  our  own  dear  lamented 
Mrs.  Stevenson.  So  while  we  grieve  at  her  loss,  and  sympathize 
most  tenderly  with  all  her  loved  ones,  let  us  keep  before  us  these 
high  ideals  and  work  on  in  the  same  spirit  of  loyalty  and  love, 
until  with  tasks  completed  we  shall  greet  her  in  a  joy  which  has 
no  end. 

TRIBUTE  BY  MRS.  JAMES  B.  TAYLOR,  OF  EUGENE,  OREGON,  THE 
FIRST  REGENT  OF  THE  CHAPTER 

It  is  with  a  full  heart  that  I  sit  down  to  pay  my  last  tribute  to 
Mrs.  Adlai  E.  Stevenson.  Back  of  all  official  acquaintance  and 
relations,  there  were  personal  ties  of  friendship  stretching  over 
many  years.  Being  near  neighbors  with  many  common  interests 
and  sympathies,  I  was  often  in  her  home  and  she  in  mine.  We 
were  personal  friends ;  and  nothing  in  all  the  years  happened  to 
ruffle  that  friendship  and  perfect  cordiality.  To  me  she  was 
always  full  of  response  and  full  of  kindness. 

Under  her  regime  as  President  General  of  the  D.  A.  R.,  I  was 
selected  first  regent  of  the  chapter  which  chose  and  wears  her 
name  for  its  own.  In  all  the  perplexities  and  stresses  of  three 
years  of  official  relations,  my  experience  was  a  perfect  replica  of 
what  I  had  found  her  to  be  in  private  life.  The  same  gracious 
personality  I  had  met  by  her  fireside  shone  out  under  official 


LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON  2  3 

conditions.  I  can  but  remember  it  all  as  one  of  the  blessed  and 
tender  and  much-to-be-appreciated  associations  of  my  life.  It  is 
an  honor  to  be  associated  with  one  so  able;  and,  afterward,  a 
fragrant  memory  to  look  back  to  her  personal  graces. 

Now  that  she  is  gone  from  us,  I  join  with  others  of  her 
Daughters  of  Letitia  Green  Stevenson  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.,  in  lay- 
ing a  tribute  of  love  and  appreciation  on  her  grave.  As  we  inher- 
ited her  name,  may  we  inherit  her  high  sense  of  honor,  her  deep 
conscientiousness,  her  motherly  care  and  faithfulness  for  those 
who  belonged  to  her,  and  her  absolute  loyalty  to  our  Society. 

Like  a  greeting  from  the  other  world  came  to  me  her  book 
after  the  message  of  the  wires  told  me  she  had  crossed  the  borders. 
It  helped  make  me  feel  that  she  is  still  with  us,  to  help  us  and  in- 
spire us — as  indeed  her  spirit  is. 

TRIBUTE  BY  MRS.  JOHN  C.  AMES,  OF  CHICAGO,  FORMER  STATE 
REGENT,  AND  NOW  VICE-PRESIDENT  GENERAL  FOR  ILLI- 
NOIS. 

It  is  with  profound  sorrow  that  Illinois  records  another  visita- 
tion of  the  Grim  Reaper  into  the  ranks  of  the  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution.  Again  we  are  bereft  of  one  of  our  most 
brilliant  and  best  loved  members,  Mrs.  Adlai  B.  Stevenson. 

On  December  twenty-fifth,  when  the  whole  Christian  world 
was  filled  with  happiness,  celebrating  the  birth  of  our  Saviour, 
after  an  illness  of  several  months,  our  beloved  Honorary  Presi- 
dent General  quietly  entered  "that  undiscovered  country,"  and 
joined  the  choir  invisible  in  singing  the  glad  hosannahs  to  Christ, 
whom  she  so  conscientiously  followed  all  her  life. 

Mrs.  Stevenson  has  held  a  warm  place  in  the  hearts  of  the 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  since  the  organization  of 
the  Society.  She  was  elected  three  times  to  the  office  of  Presi- 
dent General,  being  the  second  and  fourth  woman  to  occupy  that 
position.  In  the  years  which  intervened  between  the  organization 
and  the  day  of  her  passing  away,  she  was  at  all  times  our  ' '  Guide, 
Philosopher  and  Friend. ' ' 

Her  last  work  for  the  Daughters  was  putting  into  book  form 
her  personal  knowledge  of  the  early  history  of  the  National 
Society.  A  valuable  book,  prized  not  only  as  a  reference  book, 
but  as  the  work  of  the  heart,  head  and  hand  of  our  much  be- 
loved Honorary  President  General. 

A  summary  of  Mrs.  Stevenson's  life  is  in  itself  the  finest 
eulogy  that  could  be  written  of  any  woman.  She  was  a  Christian 
gentlewoman,  and  whether  abroad  or  standing  at  the  side  of  her 
illustrious  husband,  receiving  the  homage  of  the  people  of  our 
Nation,  or  quietly  teaching  her  Sunday  School  class  in  her  home 
church,  she  was  always  the  same  sweet,  gracious,  womanly 


24  LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON 

woman.  To  those  nearest  and  dearest  to  her  we  offer  our  ten- 
derest  sympathy. 

To  the  Letitia  Green  Stevenson  Chapter,  which  had  so  firm  a 
hold  upon  her  affections,  to  you  also  we  extend  our  sympathy. 
May  the  memory  of  her  loving  counsel  and  beautiful  example 
be  an  incentive  to  live  for  the  highest  and  best  that  life  can  give. 

It  was  the  duty  of  your  State  Regent  and  Vice  President  Gen- 
eral to  bring  before  the  National  Board  N.  S.  D.  A.  B.,  the 
official  notice  of  the  passing  of  our  Honorary  President  General 
into  the  "Life  Eternal. ' '  It  was  with  grateful  hearts  we  listened 
to  words  of  love  and  praise  from  friends  who  had  worked  with 
her  for  many  years. 

Everywhere  Mrs.  Stevenson  has  been  known  her  loss  will  be 
felt.  But  our  loss  is  her  gain,  and  can  be  no  better  expressed 
than  by  the  little  verse  with  which  Mrs.  Stevenson  closes  the 
chapter  recording  the  death  of  our  first  President  General  Mrs. 
Caroline  Scott  Harrison: 

"Death  is  another  life.  We  bow  our  heads  at  going  out,  we 
think  and  enter  straight  another  golden  chamber  of  the  King's, 
larger  than  this  we  leave,  and  lovelier." 


TRIBUTE    BY    MRS.    GEORGE    A.    LAWRENCE,    OF    GALESBURG, 
STATE  REGENT  OF  ILLINOIS 

Your  state  regent  and  five  thousand  Daughters  of  the  Ameri- 
can Revolution  in  Illinois,  on  this  Memorial  Day  to  Mrs.  Steven- 
son, would  reverently  draw  our  flags  to  half  mast  to  show  our 
appreciation,  respect  and  love  for  her.  Sweet  and  solemn  are  the 
thoughts  that  come  as  we  think  of  her  beneficent  life.  She  was 
peculiarly  yours,  at  the  same  time  she  was  ours.  She  lives  in  such 
a  rare  and  beautiful  way  in  what  she  was  to  us  and  what  she  was 
for  us. 

Many  are  the  letters  telling  of  the  inspiration  Mrs.  Adlai  E. 
Stevenson  was  when  she  was  our  President  General.  She  was 
loving,  kind,  patient,  courageous,  diligent  and  careful  in  every 
detail  of  every  cause  that  came  before  her  when  she  was  the 
head  of  our  organization.  She  was  imbued  with  a  deep  sense  of 
justice,  and  also  possessed  a  heart  keen  to  all  human  sensibilities. 
To  her,  administration  of  justice  was  a  high  duty  and  a  human 
exercise  of  power.  She  was  ever  a  thinker  and  a  student,  seeking 
for  the  truth  at  all  times.  She  was  thorough,  keen,  tenacious,  and 
her  unflinching  loyalty  won  for  her  the  admiration  and  friend- 
ship of  all  with  whom  she  was  associated.  Daughters  felt  that 
Mrs.  Stevenson  was  worthy  of  their  trust.  She  was  considerate, 
kindly,  companionable.  She  made  and  kept  many  close  friend- 
ships, and  proved  her  loyalty  by  acts  of  sympathy  and  helpful- 
ness. In  civic  betterment  she  was  a  support ;  her  accurate  insight 


LETITIA  GEEEN  STEVENSON  2  5 

into  human  nature,  her  business  ability  and  sound  judgment  gave 
her  prestige  and  made  her  opinions  of  value  in  municipal,  edu- 
cational and  charitable  affairs.  No  wonder  that  Mrs.  Stevenson 
was  a  power ;  no  wonder  that  our  national  and  state  organization 
were  proud  of  and  loved  her,  for  such  examples  of  womanhood 
are  rare. 

As  she  saw  chiefly  the  good  in  those  around  her,  and  as  her 
outlook  upon  the  world  delighted  in  the  signs  of  better  things 
for  her  National  Society  and  for  humanity ;  as  her  mind  was  pure, 
as  she  made  herself  felt  on  the  side  of  right  and  justice ;  as  she 
served  her  God,  her  country,  her  home,  so  may  our  souls  be 
stirred  by  desires  and  resolves  to  go  and  do  as  she  has  done — live 
in  deeds  worthy  our  day  and  generation. 

Illinois  Daughters  shall  meet  and  shall  miss  the  sweet  pres- 
ence of  our  Mrs.  Stevenson,  but  written  upon  the  tables  of  our 
hearts  is  that  which  will  never  die.  We  thank  God  for  having 
given  to  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  such  a  friend, 
such  a  helper,  such  a  leader  as  was  our  Mrs.  Adlai  E.  Stevenson. 

TRIBUTE  BY  MBS.  ELLEN  HARDIN  WALWOBTH,  OF  SARATOGA 
SPRINGS,  N.  Y.,  THE  ONLY  LIVING  FOUNDER  OF  THE  NA- 
TIONAL SOCIETY  OF  THE  DAUGHTERS  OF  THE  AMERICAN 
REVOLUTION,  ALSO  HONORARY  VICE-PRESIDENT  GENERAL 

It  is  with  mingled  sadness  and  pleasure  that  I  recall  the  first 
days,  when,  as  "Daughters,"  we  could  claim  Mrs.  Adlai  E. 
Stevenson  as  our  President  General  and  leader,  at  a  most  critical 
period  of  our  history. 

We  had  lost,  by  death,  our  first  and  notable  President  General, 
Mrs.  Benjamin  Harrison,  and  through  a  reverence  for  her  mem- 
ory, and  because  the  time  would  be  short  till  the  meeting  of  our 
Continental  Congress,  no  one  had  been  appointed  to  take  her 
place,  though  an  appeal  had  been  made  for  such  action.  Great 
anxiety  was  felt  by  our  Founders  and  leaders  lest  the  platform 
that  had  been  established  in  the  appointment  of  Mrs.  Harrison 
as  President  General,  thus  granting  us  an  affiliation  with  the  gov- 
ernment of  our  country,  should  be  abandoned  or  endangered. 
The  vital  amendment  of  lineal  descent,  which  question  had  been 
inserted  in  the  Constitution  after  it  left  the  hands  of  our  Found- 
ers, was  pending  exciting  conditions. 

The  transfer  of  the  sovereign  power  of  our  organization  from 
the  Board  of  Management  to  the  Continental  Congress,  as  rep- 
resenting the  people  (the  members)  was  yet  under  its  experi- 
mental strain.  You  can  therefore,  imagine  with  what  relief  and 
exultation  these  leaders  received  the  gracious  reply  of  Mrs.  Stev- 
enson that  she  would  accept  the  nomination  they  had  offered 
to  her.  She  was  elected  with  but  a  nominal  opposition,  and  finally 


26  LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON 

by  the  same  unanimous  vote  that  carried  her  into  the  same  high 
office  again  and  again  and  again.  She  was  eminently  fitted,  as 
by  a  special  Providence,  for  the  responsibilities  before  her;  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  of  old  Kentucky  and  Virginia  lineage,  and  her 
mature  years  spent  as  a  resident  of  the  progressive,  enthusiastic 
Empire  State  of  the  grand  middle  west,  who  could  so  readily  as 
she  heal  the  wounds  of  the  civil  war,  and  embrace  in  her  loving 
soul  the  heart-sore  South,  and  the  exulting  North,  and  seal  that 
union  which  was  a  main  reason  for  the  organization  of  our 
Society. 

Her  husband,  the  Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  whose 
high  character  and  wise  statesmanship  was  known  and  recognized 
in  every  corner  of  the  land,  was  devoted  to  her,  and  ready  to  up- 
hold all  of  her  patriotic  efforts. 

Mrs.  Stevenson  was  a  woman  of  classical  education,  a  rare 
endowment  twenty  years  ago ;  and  she  had  the  strength  of  char- 
acter and  breadth  of  view  that  well-directed  culture  gives.  In  per- 
son her  presence  was  commanding,  yet  gentle ;  she  had  a  fascinat- 
ing smile  that  won  the  timid  and  hesitating.  She  was  also  gifted 
with  the  power  of  wise  selection  and  discriminating  intuition  that 
places  the  right  person  to  lead  an  important  work,  as  illustrated 
in  her  choice  of  Mrs.  Stranahan  to  preside,  at  intervals,  in  the 
Second  Continental  Congress;  Mrs.  Hogg,  as  her  adviser  in 
question  of  lineal  descent ;  Mrs.  S.  V.  White,  that  marvelous  phil- 
anthropist, to  initiate  the  "daughters"  work  in  the  superb  monu- 
ment to  the  Prison  Ship  Martyrs;  Mrs.  Dempster  to  emphasize 
our  determination  to  save  the  Stars  and  Stripes  from  desecra- 
tion; and  Mrs.  Shepard,  to  organize  the  all-important  task  of 
giving  material  life  to  our  dream  of  a  marble  palace  for  our 
' '  memorial  and  Home ' '  in  the  Capitol  of  our  Nation. 

These  appointments  were  like  an  inspiration,  and  still  more 
so  was  the  skilled  and  sagacious  way  in  which  she,  herself,  led 
our  National  Society  at  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  be- 
ing on  record  with  Mrs.  Palmer,  Mrs.  Henrotin  and  the  group 
of  women  notable  in  that  event,  of  American  women.  We  were 
proud  of  our  President  General,  standing  in  the  glare  of  the 
' '  Great  White  City, ' '  in  the  presence  of  the  assembled  world. 

Do  you  wonder  then  that  when  our  gracious  and  popular 
President  General,  Mrs.  J.  W.  Foster,  declared  that  it  was  im- 
possible for  her  to  serve  in  that  office  more  than  one  year,  that 
we  turned  eagerly  to  our  true  and  tried  leader,  Mrs.  Stevenson, 
and  that  again,  at  much  personal  sacrifice  of  ease  and  leisure, 
she  gratified  the  hopes  and  demands  of  her  loving  "Daughters" ; 
and  that  we,  upon  seeing  her  once  more  presiding,  "went  wild 
with  enthusiasm ; ' '  such  a  spontaneous  ovation  has  rarely  ever 
been  given  to  any  woman,  as  the  applause  with  which  we  then 
gave  expression  to  our  joy  and  affection. 


LETIT1A  GEEEN  STEVENSON  2  7 

Under  her  gentle  sway  we  continued  to  prosper,  we  out-grew 
the  little  church  at  the  corner  of  14th  and  L  streets;  we  out- 
grew the  Columbia  Theatre,  at  12th  and  F  streets;  we  out- 
grew the  Chase  Opera  House  on  Pennsylvania  Avenue.  Under 
her  influence  we  developed  and  defined  closely  our  methods  of 
work.  We  inaugurated  the  printed  Statute  Book  to  give  per- 
manence and  value  to  the  decrees  of  the  Continental  Congress. 
We  began  the  publication  of  the  now  invaluable  Lineage  Book, 
and  also  the  Directory. 

In  the  Sixth  Continental  Congress  her  firm  and  fair  rulings 
sustained  the  defenders  of  the  Constitution  of  the  Society,  which 
was  threatened  with  a  sweeping  revision  that  would  have  changed 
its  character. 

Thus  in  many  ways  did  she  help  to  lay  the  foundations  of 
this  grand  society  of  American  women  deep  and  strong;  her 
efforts  are  impressed  on  its  principles;  her  name  should  be 
"writ  large"  on  the  pages  of  its  history.  Its  membership  can 
look  to  her  record  for  an  example  of  justice  and  gentleness  and 
breadth  of  vision — equalled  it  is  true,  by  that  of  her  gifted  and 
honored  sister,  Mrs.  Scott,  our  other  President  General  (for 
their  names  are  indelibly  linked  in  the  history  of  this  Society), 
whose  strong  hand  guided  wisely  the  many  untried  and  new 
members  of  a  later  day;  and  whose  generous  ways  decked  our 
marble  palace  with  a  regal  wealth  of  flowers,  and  brought  into  it 
the  highest  officers  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States  to 
pay  their  homage  to  the  memorial  we  women  have  wrought  to 
the  Founders  of  the  Great  Republic  those  officers  now  serve. 

Truly  the  contrast  is  great  between  the  palatial  Home  of  our 
Society  now,  and  the  ' '  dark,  steep  stairway, ' '  our  beloved  Second 
President  General,  Mrs.  Stevenson,  climbed  to  "the  little  narrow 
room  over  the  Biggs  Bank,"  where  she  first  presided  over  the 
Board  of  Management. 

"Ah,  then  the  Captain  of  our  ranks  has  fallen! 

And   'twas  she — our  Second  President  General, 
'Twas  she  who  then  our  slender  columns  led, 

Gathering  a  mighty  force  to  win  the  fight, 

Keeping  our  Country's  Flag  always  in  sight, 
'Twas  she  who  worked  with  us  in  our  great  cause, 

And  from  every  heart  let  our  applause 

Ring  forth  afar,  Oh,  Daughters,  fair  and  proud! 

But  hush,  hush  ye,  sing  ye  no  longer  loud; 

Soft  be  your  sounded  praises  like  memory's  minor  lay, 

For  she  of  whom  we  sing  tonight  has  gently  passed  away, 

Only  the  great  example  of  her  life,  so  great  and  true, 

Like  a  whispered  benediction  rests  on  me  and  rests  on  you  I" 


28  LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON 


TRIBUTE  BY  MRS.  WILLIAM  D.  CABELL,  OF  CHICAGO,  HONOR- 
ARY PRESIDENT  PRESIDING 

The  death  of  Mrs.  Stevenson  has  carried  sadness  into  many 
hearts.  None  who  knew  her  can  fail  to  grieve  over  the  passing 
from  out  of  their  lives  of  that  sweet  and  gracious  personality. 

To  me  the  loss  is  very  great,  as  we  were  united  in  sentiment 
during  the  critical  early  days  of  the  organization  of  our  great 
Society — the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution.  I  have 
always  greatly  valued  her  harmonizing  influence  upon  very  com- 
plicated and  even  antagonistic  conditions  evident  in  those  times, 
and  it  has  been  a  source  of  permanent  satisfaction  to  me  that 
through  the  devotion  of  my  personal  friends  in  the  Society,  I  was 
able  to  contribute  towards  her  first  election  to  the  high  office  she 
filled  so  well.  When,  at  the  election  by  the  Second  Continental 
Congress,  February,  1893,  my  name  was  among  those  urged  for 
the  office  of  which  I  was  discharging  the  duties,  I  prevailed  upon 
my  friends  to  permit  me  to  withdraw  it  openly,  and  to  transfer 
their  votes  to  Mrs.  Stevenson,  whom  I  had  already  named  to  them 
as  the  proper  successor  to  Mrs.  Harrison,  and  my  judgment  in 
this  matter  was  confirmed,  not  only  by  Mrs.  Stevenson's  first  ten- 
ure of  office,  but  by  her  unanimous  re-election  after  the  one  inter- 
vening administration  of  Mrs.  Foster.  Such  a  re-election,  under 
such  circumstances,  was  the  truest  possible  testimonial  to  the 
beautiful  qualities  of  one  whom  so  many  united  to  value  and  to 
love. 

That  the  honor  and  welfare  of  our  Society,  unique  in  its  or- 
ganization and  its  aims,  may  be  always  upheld  by  the  leadership 
of  such  women  as  its  two  earliest  presidents,  Mrs.  Harrison  and 
Mrs.  Stevenson,  is  the  profound  wish  of  the  woman  who  in  per- 
son presided  over  its  first  meeting  for  formal  organization  on 
October  11,  1890. 

TRIBUTE  BY  MRS.  JOHN  W.  FOSTER,   OF  WASHINGTON,  D.   C., 
HONORARY  PRESIDENT  GENERAL 

It  has  been  one  of  the  highest  privileges  of  my  life  to  have 
enjoyed  the  friendship  and  companionship  of  Mrs.  Stevenson 
for  many  years,  from  her  first  temporary  residence  in  Washing- 
ton up  to  the  time  of  her  death  and  for  a  portion  of  her  visit  in 
foreign  lands.  In  the  intimate  relationship  we  sustained  during 
that  period  I  came  to  know  and  value  the  high  and  noble  qualities 
of  her  character.  Her  family  relations  were  ideal.  She  gave 
her  unreserved  devotion  to  her  husband  in  high  office.  She  was 
a  thorough  American,  a  patriot  who  fully  appreciated  the  bless- 
ings which  our  forefathers  had  secured  to  us  as  a  people  and  as 
individuals,  and  as  a  twice  elected  President  of  our  National 


LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON  29 

Society,  and  in  her  personal  relations  was  an  efficient  worker  to 
honor  the  memory  and  perpetuate  the  principles  of  the  heroes 
of  the  Revolution.  As  a  member  of  society  her  influence  was  al- 
ways on  the  side  of  pure  and  noble  aspirations,  and  in  her  inter- 
course with  those  about  her  she  never  failed  to  spread  a  genial 
and  loving  spirit.  Above  all,  she  was  a  sincere  and  earnest  Chris- 
tian, and  with  becoming  modesty,  she  obeyed  her  Master's  com- 
mand to  so  let  her  light  shine  before  men,  that  they  saw  her 
works  and  glorified  her  Heavenly  Father. 

Though  she  has  gone  from  our  presence,  she  still  lives 
amongst  us  in  the  memory  of  her  noble  life. 

TRIBUTE  BY  MRS.  DANIEL  MANNING,  OF  ALBANY,  NEW  YORK, 
HONORARY  PRESIDENT  GENERAL 

Mrs.  Adlai  Stevenson  was  a  woman  of  rare  sweetness  of 
character  and  strong  personality.  Every  responsibility  that 
came  to  her  she  met  with  charming  grace  and  dignity.  As 
wife  of  Post  Master  General  or  Vice-President  of  the  United 
States  and  as  President  General  of  the  D.  A.  R.,  she  won  dis- 
tinction for  her  executive  ability  and  devotion  to  the  upbuilding 
of  the  society.  She  was  a  loyal  friend  and  I  send  this  little 
tribute  to  one  I  loved  through  a  long  and  happy  association. 


TRIBUTE  BY  MRS.  DONALD  McLEAN,  OF  NEW  YORK  CITY,  HON- 
ORARY PRESIDENT  GENERAL 

Over  twenty  years  ago,  there  journeyed  to  Washington  (in 
my  own  person)  a  young  woman,  inexperienced  in  aught  save 
social  life,  ignorant  of  the  whys  and  wherefores,  the  ways  and 
means  of  woman's  organized  activities;  but  instinct  with  the 
respect  for  upright  dealings  and  filled  with  an  inner  love  of  truth, 
justice  and  honor  (the  priceless  heritage  of  an  unstained  an- 
cestry)— and  these  qualities  needed  but  the  magic  touch  of  a 
noble  leader,  to  awaken  them  to  action,  and  to  arouse  the  fealty 
and  loyalty  of  an  enthusiastic  soul.  Such  leader  arose  before 
these  mine  eyes,  in  the  full  beautitude  of  her  precious  person- 
ality— a  loved  and  loving,  a  wise  and  generous  President  General 
Daughters  American  Revolution,  Mrs.  Adlai  E.  Stevenson. 

This  writer  believes  that  Mrs.  Stevenson,  whose  serene  and 
lovely  face,  framed  in  its  golden  hair,  indicated  the  nobility  of 
nature  and  the  rightful  pride  of  an  indomitable  soul,  wielded 
an  influence  far  beyond  that  which  she  herself  realized.  A  boon 
she  was  to  women — and  to  the  Society  D.  A.  R.,  which  needed 
her,  reposed  confidence  in  her  superlative  ability  and  gave  devo- 
tion to  her  presence,  which  presence  at  once  illumined  and  stilled 
the  mind  and  soul  of  the  assembled  multitude. 


3O  LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON 

Feeling  these  things  so  keenly  as  does  the  writer,  may  she 
relate  the  fact  already  upon  the  records  of  the  Society — that  it 
was  upon  the  motion  of  Mrs.  Donald  McLean  of  New  York, 
that  Mrs.  Stevenson's  election  to  a  third  term  (not  consecutive) 
as  President  General,  was  made  unanimous  and  to  Mrs.  Steven- 
son came  this  honor  for  the  first  and  last  time  in  the  history  of 
the  D.  A.  R. 

Added  to  her  own  gifts  was  the  sure  foundation  of  her  hus- 
band 's  wisdom  and  supporting  strength. 

Even  these  few  words — inadequate  in  statement  (and  of  a 
brevity  necessitated  by  the  fact  that  others,  too,  desire  to  lay 
memorial  words  about  her  imperishable  memory),  cannot  be 
transcribed  without  a  word  of  gratitude  to  him  who,  as  her  hus- 
band, gave  himself  even  tho  Vice-President  of  these  United 
States,  the  Hon.  Adlai  E.  Stevenson,  to  this  organization,  which 
can  never  fail  to  hold  him  in  grateful  recollection. 

The  last  gift  from  Mrs.  Stevenson's  own  dear  hands  came  as 
"Hail  and  Farewell"  to  this  Daughter  (one  of  her  successors 
as  President  General  National  Society  D.  A.  E.),  viz.,  the  "Brief 
History  National  Society  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion," an  invaluable  record  of  our  D.  A.  R.  days,  in  the  first 
quarter  century  of  the  society 's  existence. 

Whatever  the  future  may  bring  of  effort  or  activities  it  con- 
not  recall  her  nor  eclipse  her  estimable  achievements. 

' '  We  may  go  to  her — she  cannot  return  to  us. ' ' 

God  comfort  those  she  has  left — and  reunite  us,  one  and  all,  in 
a  glorious  immortality. 

TRIBUTE  BY  MRS.  MIRANDA  B.  TULLOCH,  OF  WASHINGTON, 
D.  C.,  WHO  SERVED  AS  TREASURER  GENERAL  AND  VICE- 
PRESIDENT  GENERAL  DURING  MRS.  STEVENSON'S  ADMIN- 
ISTRATION 

It  is  a  peculiar  satisfaction  to  me  to  pay  my  tribute  of  re- 
spect and  love  for  Mrs.  Stevenson.  She  was  a  woman  of  sweet 
and  winning  personality,  possessing  rare  gifts  of  mind  and  heart. 
She  was  a  devoted  wife  and  mother,  loyal  to  her  friends,  true 
to  her  convictions  and  thoroughly  imbued  with  patriotism  and 
love  of  courtesy.  Her  services  as  President  General  of  the 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  cannot  be  overestimated. 
Although  the  Society  had  been  ably  guided  from  its  inception, 
yet  it  was  in  a  formative  period  when  Mrs.  Stevenson  was  elected 
president,  and  required  great  skill  and  thought  to  guide  and  di- 
rect its  affairs.  Daughters  were  ambitious  and  restless,  fond  of 
parliamentary  discussions.  Although  there  was  a  constitution 
and  by-laws,  much  wearisome  time  was  spent  in  interpreting 
them.  It  was  a  great  delight  to  me  when  I  saw  the  dignified  par- 


LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON  3 1 

liamentarian  of  the  United  States  Senate  sitting  at  the  right  hand 
of  Mrs.  Stevenson.  He  had  been  instructed  by  the  Vice  Presi- 
dent, her  ever  devoted  and  courteous  husband,  to  assist  her  and 
decide  all  difficult  questions,  feeling  assured  she  needed  a  par- 
liamentarian more  than  he  did.  Since  that  time  a  parliamentar- 
ian has  been  employed  by  Congress. 

While  Mrs.  Stevenson,  in  her  "History  of  the  National  So- 
ciety of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution"  describes 
receptions  and  social  events  of  others,  she  modestly  omits  her 
own  delightful  receptions. 

I  recall  one  among  the  many  given  by  her  to  the  National 
Society  then  in  session,  resident  Daughters  and  visitors.  This 
was  February  22nd,  1894,  in  the  parlors  of  the  Normandie,  from 
4  to  6  P.  M.  The  rooms  were  beautifully  decorated,  flags  were 
draped  above  the  doorways,  and  caught  back  with*  clusters 
of  flowers.  A  great  number  of  palms  and  cut  flowers  adorned 
the  rooms.  In  the  tea  room  the  decorations  were  of  red  and 
on  the  table  a  large  center  piece  of  scarlet  tulips.  The  collation 
of  salads  and  ices  was  served  by  dainty  young  ladies,  who  were 
also  pages  in  the  Congress.  Mrs.  Stevenson  was  always  taste- 
fully gowned.  On  this  occasion  she  received  in  a  dress  of  white 
satin,  trimmed  with  ermine  and  crystal  lace.  The  guests,  after 
greeting  Mrs.  Stevenson,  were  presented  by  her  to  her  husband, 
the  Vice-President.  She  was  ably  assisted  by  her  National  of- 
ficers, and  other  prominent  women  attending  the  Congress. 

It  was  my  good  fortune  to  serve  under  her  leadership  in  two 
capacities,  first  as  Treasurer  General,  later  as  Vice  President  Gen- 
eral. As  Treasurer  General,  I  came  to  know  and  appreciate  the 
sterling  qualities  she  possessed.  She  was  ever  faithful  to  the 
duties  of  her  office,  and  labored  to  place  the  Society  on  a  firm 
foundation.  She  was  anxious  that  funds  should  be  conserved 
so  that  in  the  near  future  we  could  possess  a  home  worthy  of 
those  who  made  this  nation  free  and  independent.  She  advised 
me  personally  or  by  letter  to  use  tact  and  discretion  with  mem- 
bers or  chapters  who  did  not  realize  the  importance  of  promptly 
fulfilling  their  obligations. 

I  have  some  autograph  letters  from  her  which  I  greatly  treas- 
ure. I  will  close  this  brief  tribute  by  quoting  a  portion  of  a  let- 
ter from  her,  written  February  6th,  1894,  in  response  to  a  letter 
of  sympathy  from  me,  which  embodies  the  guiding  principle 
which  influenced  her  life. 

"Your  letter  of  sympathy  has  been  a  great  comfort  to  me, 
and  from  the  depths  of  a  sad  heart  I  thank  you  for  it.  But  it  is 
not  backward  but  forward  we  all  must  look,  they,  our  loved  ones, 
cannot  come  to  us,  but  we  can  go  to  them.  So  surely  do  I  believe 
in  the  resurrection  of  those  who  die  in  the  Lord  that  it  already 
begins  to  be  a  sweet  and  cheering  thought  that  the  now  sainted 


32  LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON 

daughter  who  was  so  eminently  the  home  daughter,  will  be  the 
daughter  sainted  and  glorified  to  welcome  us  home  as  one  by 
one  we  all  sooner  or  later  gather  on  the  shore." 

Her  spirit  has  taken  flight  from  this  fragile  tenement  of  clay, 
and  from  the  mystery  of  life  her  soul  has  passed  within  the 
greater  mystery  of  life  eternal. 

TRIBUTE  BY  MBS.  DANIEL  LOTHROP,  OF  BOSTON,  MASSACHU- 
SETTS, FOUNDEE  OF  THE  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  CHILDREN 
OF  THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION 

Seasons  come  and  go  with  unvarying  regularity,  filled  with 
work  for  human  hands  and  hearts.  Never  a  day  passes  without 
some  fulfillment  of  this  work  by  which  the  world  is  benefited. 
Enrichment  is  it  for  any  life  to  be  able  to  visualize  the  part  of 
the  world's  work  lying  directly  at  the  door  of  such  a  life.  Double 
enrichment  when  the  work  is  acknowledged,  picked  up  and  done. 

A  willing  soul  meets  the  Lord  half  way  in  this  matter  of 
picking  up  work  for  the  world's  betterment.  Such  willingness 
presupposes  long  areas  of  the  past,  getting  ready  to  meet  the 
Lord  half  way.  No  one  is  immediately  prepared  for  such  glorious 
co-operation;  Frances  Ridley  Havergal's  prayer  is  good  to  re- 
member : ' '  Prepare  me,  oh  God,  for  what  Thou  are  preparing  for 
me." 

As  well  try  to  leap  into  a  swirling  current,  without  the  swim- 
mer's  preparatory  regimen  of  daily  training.  Who  dares  the 
test  of  any  trial  without  first  battling  with  the  elements  that 
threaten.  Each  soul  that  comes  out  unscathed  from  the  strain 
of  circumstance,  of  environment,  of  all  the  baffling  antagonisms 
of  life  that  surround  every  human  being  from  the  cradle  to  the 
grave,  does  so  by  virtue  of  his  or  her  equipment  by  long  and  pa- 
tient training.  He  meets  his  or  her  duties  by  the  way;  simply 
accepts  them  and  passes  on  to  higher  work.  Such  is  a  rare 
soul. 

When  I  first  met  Mrs.  Adlai  E.  Stevenson  so  many  years  ago, 
I  classified  her  at  once  as  one  of  these  rare  souls.  Long  acquain- 
tance only  increased  my  belief  that  she  had  merited  such  classifi- 
cation. She  won  my  attention  by  the  sweet  womanliness  that 
shone  from  her  face  and  was  revealed  in  her  voice.  I  do  not  mean 
that  sweetness  in  face  and  voice  carrying  with  it  the  thought 
of  mere  amiability.  Mrs.  Stevenson  was  far  from  being  that  type 
of  woman.  Here  was  the  Christ-like  sweetness  of  life  and  de- 
meanor that  permeated  the  deep  strength  of  the  inner  life.  Here 
was  a  nature  trained  by  years  of  experience  to  pick  up  those 
great  duties  that  lay  in  her  path.  When  she  was  urged  to  accept 
the  duty  of  guiding  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution, 
did  she  shrink  from  the  task?  Mrs.  Stevenson  took  the  work  as 


LJETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON  33 

from  the  hands  of  the  Lord.  And  through  all  the  years  in  which 
she  guided  us,  she  never  faltered,  but  worked  on  in  that  co- 
operation with  the  Master. 

The  next  thing  that  I  noticed  in  studying  Mrs.  Stevenson 
was  her  great  ability.  How  gentle  she  was,  but  oh,  how  strong 
and  executive !  Oh,  do  not  let  us  forget  the  trials  and  struggles 
of  those  pioneers — the  early  workers  in  our  great  organization! 

It  is  not  given  to  us  to  fully  realize  them;  only  those  who 
were  part  and  parcel  of  those  early  days  can  do  so.  But  we  can 
tell  the  story  for  those  who  followed  the  pioneers,  till  every 
young  Daughter  knows  it  by  heart. 

What  Mrs.  Stevenson  did  to  hold  us  together  and  guide  us, 
was  most  admirable  work,  and  we  are  reaping  the  benefits  today. 
We  can  never  be  grateful  enough  for  her  administration  those 
two  earlier  terms,  and  again,  those  two  additional  ones  when  she 
was  recalled  by  the  insistent  desire  of  the  National  Society  to  be 
its  President-General. 

Then  I  came  into  contact  with  her  in  the  matters  pertaining 
to  the  Great  Cause  which  I  had  proposed  and  originated  at  the 
Congress  D.  A.  R.,  in  1895— The  National  Society  of  the  Chil- 
dren of  the  American  Revolution ;  oh,  how  I  trembled  to  intro- 
duce that  Cause ! — for  it  was  in  the  early  days,  remember,  when 
all  our  energies  were  strained  to  properly  project  and  equip  our 
own  organization.  But  the  voice  of  the  Lord  rang  through  my 
soul  telling  me  to  do  it,  and  I  had  but  to  obey. 

How  kind  she  was!  How  receptive  to  the  need  of  such  a 
cause  being  upheld  by  the  D.  A.  R.  Here  the  soul  of  the  woman 
shone  forth  and  her  belief  in  the  fundamental  principle  of  life 
that  puts  a  duty  upon  women  especially,  to  safeguard  the  youth 
of  our  Country,  made  me  love  her  then  and  there. 

There  were  so  many  obstacles  in  the  way  of  the  Cause.  So 
few  of  the  D.  A.  R.  at  first  saw  its  need.  Others  thought  it 
might  be  postponed,  for  the  better  forging  ahead  of  the  work 
of  the  D.  A.  R.  itself.  Some  royal  souls  saw  the  time  was  ripe 
for  the  work  to  begin,  realizing,  oh,  how  true  that  was — that  we 
could  best  advance  the  interests  of  the  D.  A.  R.  by  looking  out 
for  the  childhood  of  the  Nation — and  the  National  Society  of  the 
Children  of  the  American  Revolution  was  born  into  the  world ! 

I  ever  found  dear  Mrs.  Stevenson  one  of  those  royal  souls 
who  in  every  way  in  her  power  bade  me  God-speed  in  my  work 
for  this  Cause.  And  one  of  the  sweetest  flowers  of  my  remem- 
brance that  shall  never  wither,  is  the  friendship  with  her  that  it 
brought  me,  and  the  insight  into  her  rare  and  gracious  spirit 
that  was  pure  as  a  child's,  and  radiant  with  the  strength  and 
beauty  of  true  womanhood. 


34  LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON 

TRIBUTE  BY  MRS.  THOMAS  MORGAN,  OF  SAVANNAH,  GEORGIA, 
FORMER  STATE  REGENT  OF  GEORGIA,  AND  ONE  OF  MRS. 
STEVENSON'S  MANY  DEVOTED  SOUTHERN  FRIENDS 

Fully  realizing  that  my  talent  is  too  feeble  to  meet  adequately 
the  sad  and  honorable  part  accorded  me  in  the  Memorial  Meeting 
to  be  held  today,  yet  affectionate  admiration  and  high  apprecia- 
tion of  difficult  services  nobly  rendered  will  help  me  to  offer  a 
simple,  heartfelt  tribute  to  the  memory  of  a  distinguished  woman 
four  times  called  upon  to  assume  the  leadership  of  the  large  af- 
fairs of  a  great  Society — a  Society  which  has  won  the  approving 
attention  of  the  Nation,  which  has  in  many  directions  eased  the 
burdens  of  appealing  humanity  and  added  a  new  grace  and  pur- 
pose to  further  enhance  the  joys  and  usefulness  of  the  American 
home. 

When  I  first  met  Mrs.  Stevenson  I  was  fresh  from  my  dear 
old  Southland,  and  was  held  somewhat  tight  in  the  grip  of  con- 
servatism, was  loyal  to  its  long  established  customs  and  tradi- 
tions, in  which  "woman's  sphere"  is  clearly  defined  by  the  un- 
written code  of  conventions.  My  associates,  when  they  heard  I 
would  attend  the  Continental  Congress,  and  as  State  Regent  of 
Georgia,  advocate  certain  measures,  exclaimed,  "Why  will  you 
go  and  make  a  speech  in  public :  none  of  the  women  of  your  peo- 
ple ever  did  such  a  thing  before." 

When  Mrs.  Stevenson,  gracefully  and  graciously,  came  upon 
the  stage,  and  assumed  the  duties  of  her  high  office,  I  realized 
with  a  swelling  heart,  and  quick  sympathy,  that  a  woman  could 
meet  the  new  conditions  facing  her  sex,  could  cross  the  threshold 
of  her  home  and  enter  into  the  busy  activities  of  a  larger  world, 
illustrate  the  potentialities  of  women  to  be  useful  as  citizens,  as 
patriots  in  the  uplift  work  of  our  common  country,  respond  to 
any  reasonable  call  for  co-operation  in  altruistic  endeavor,  and 
be  the  same  woman  who  typifies  the  highest  ideals  of  wife,  mother 
and  social  leader.  She  can  be  this  and  something  more  by  ad- 
dition, not  by  substitution. 

Mrs.  Stevenson  was  a  beloved  and  successful  President  Gen- 
eral. The  society  over  which  she  presided  with  so  much  tact,  ease, 
and  ability,  developed  wonderfully  along  many  lines  during  her 
administration. 

It  may  be  claimed  she  was  not  directly  concerned  and  active 
in  all  these  developments  and  improvements,  but  undoubtedly  her 
calm  judgment,  her  gentle  but  strong  insistence  on  the  right,  her 
decisions  never  controlled  by  the  personal  equation  or  circum- 
stance, her  strict  construction  of  the  law,  that  defines  the  duties 
of  those  holding  the  trusts  and  offices  of  the  Society,  were  a 
compelling  and  illuminating  influence  throughout  the  length  and 


LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON  3$ 

breadth  of  the  organization,  and  kept  its  pulse  from  at  any  time 
reaching  a  dangerous  temperature. 

As  our  President  General,  Mrs.  Stevenson  accorded  every 
right  and  privilege  to  the  least  known  member  of  the  Continental 
Congress,  she  put  herself  in  helpful  touch  with  the  most  timid 
delegate ;  but  all  recognized  her  as  an  aristocrat,  ' '  one  of  the  fine 
minority";  with  this  recognition  the  membership  rested  easy  in 
the  thought  that  high  birth  carries  an  inherent  sense  of  obliga- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  possessor  to  give  her  best;  with  Mrs. 
Stevenson,  her  position  as  President  General  quickly  developed 
her  latent  talent  for  generalship,  and  she  marshalled  her  forces 
promptly  to  the  achievement  of  the  plans  and  purposes  of  the 
organization. 

Perhaps  she  had  her  failings.  If  so,  I  never  saw  them.  Be- 
ing human  and  called  to  an  unique  and  exalted  public  station,  she 
formed  a  shining  mark,  but  if  criticisms  were  aroused,  which  I 
never  heard,  the  shadow  soon  disappeared  before  the  sunshine 
and  blue  sky  she  left  all  along  her  pathway.  She  was  gentle, 
sympathetic,  courteous,  just  and  strong;  womanly  and  tender, 
as  she  needs  must  have  been  by  birth  and  training,  and  yet 
formed  to  fill  completely  the  enormous  position  to  which  she  was 
urgently  called. 

She  has  fallen  asleep  and  now  rests  in  sweet  peace  in  the 
House  of  Everlasting  Silence. 

The  hearts  of  the  members  of  the  Society  she  loved  well  and 
served  faithfully,  are  full  of  an  enduring  regret  that  she  will  no 
more  move  among  us  to  encourage  us  in  well  doing. 

We  will  keep  lovely  memories  of  her  in  our  hearts — unfading 
immortelles — that  bear  tribute  to  a  good  and  distinguished 
woman,  an  exquisite  lady,  a  President  General  who  ruled  over  a 
great  body  of  women  with  a  gentleness  that  was  never  weakness, 
with  justice  that  was  always  tempered  by  consideration,  with 
ability  that  was  always  womanly  even  in  its  sturdy  manifesta- 
tions, with  a  righteousness  that  crowned  her  with  love  and  ad- 
miration while  she  abided  among  us,  and  is  earning  a  richer 
reward,  now  that  she  has  been  called  Upward. 

TRIBUTE  BY  MISS  AMARYLLIS  GILLETT,  FORMERLY  OF  ELK- 
HART,  ILLINOIS,  BUT  NOW  OF  WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  WHO 
HAS  SERVED  AS  LIBRARIAN  GENERAL 

Appreciating  the  privilege  of  paying  a  tribute  to  the  lovely 
and  winning  personality  of  our  noble  leader,  who  has  so  recently 
passed  to  the  life  beyond,  I  will  say  that  from  my  earliest  recol- 
lections, I  have  known  and  valued  Mrs.  Adlai  E.  Stevenson  as 
a  typical  exponent  of  gracious  womanhood. 

Possessed  of  a  feminine  charm  which  won  all  hearts,  she 
presided  with  equal  grace  at  the  hearthstone,  by  the  side  of  her 


36  LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON 

honored  husband  in  the  limelight  of  official  life,  and  in  the  halls 
of  fame  as  leader  of  our  greatest  patriotic  order  of  women. 

It  is  from  the  potent  example  of  such  women  that  a  new  type 
of  woman  is  known  and  exalted  in  our  nation,  or,  rather  it  is 
woman  today  again  acknowledged  as  she  was  in  Revolutionary 
times,  a  factor  in  the  wondrous  progress  of  our  Western  world. 
They  who  live  in  the  ideal  but  work  in  the  real  life  to  develop  and 
proclaim  pure  patriotism. 


(A  list  of  the  resolutions  from  Chapters  throughout  the  coun- 
try bearing  upon  the  beautiful  character  of  Mrs.  Stevenson  was 
read  by  Mrs.  Carl  Vrooman.) 

TEIBUTE  BY  DR.  JOHN  W.  DINSMORE,  OF  SAN  JOSE,  CALIFOR- 
NIA, WHO  WAS  FOR  TWENTY  YEARS  PASTOR  OF  THE  SEC- 
OND PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  BLOOMINGTON;  CONTRI- 
BUTES HIS  LOVING  APPRECIATION  OF  MRS.  STEVENSON'S 
LIFE  AND  CHARACTER 

I  have  been  informed  by  your  Eegent  that  it  is  your  purpose 
to  hold  a  memorial  service  in  honor  of  that  blessed  woman  for 
whom  your  chapter  is  named,  and  who  has  lately  departed  out  of 
this  world ;  and  I  have  been  requested  to  send  a  tribute  to  her 
memory  to  be  presented  at  this  meeting. 

I  am  thankful  for  the  privilege  of  laying  a  modest  chaplet  on 
the  grave  of  this  honored  and  beloved  woman.  And  I  beg  you 
to  accept  what  I  here  say  as  coming  from  myself  not  only,  but  no 
less  from  my  dear  wife,  who  has  been  deeply  and  tenderly  at- 
tached to  Mrs.  Stevenson  for  many  long  years.  Indeed,  it  voices 
the  feelings  of  all  my  children,  too,  who  were  taught  from  their 
earliest  childhood  to  hold  her  in  the  highest  respect  and  admira- 
tion. 

I  have  known  Mrs.  Stevenson  for  more  than  forty  years. 
When  I  made  her  acquaintance  she  was  in  the  bloom  and  beauty 
of  her  early  wifehood  and  motherhood.  I  soon  came  to  regard 
her  with  great  admiration  for  the  singular  charm  of  her  per- 
sonality, and  with  warm  appreciation  of  the  uncommon  grace, 
beauty  and  nobility  of  her  character.  These  feelings  grew  in 
depth  and  strength  through  all  the  passing  years,  and  were  never 
more  alive  than  at  the  end. 

Mrs.  Stevenson  was  well-born  and  well-bred.  Through  a  line 
of  worthy  progenitors,  she  inherited  integrity,  valor  and  gentle 
blood.  Her  father  was  an  eminent  and  eloquent  minister  of  the 
gospel,  a  man  of  high  character,  wide  reputation  and  great  in- 
fluence. Her  queenly  mother  is  still  remembered  by  many  of 
you,  for,  who  that  ever  knew  her  can  forget  her  ? 


LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON  37 

In  consequence,  Mrs.  Stevenson  had  the  advantage  of  the  best 
education  and  the  best  social  and  religious  environment  from  the 
first.  So  she  grew  up,  combining  in  herself,  and  in  striking  pro- 
portion and  symmetry,  those  charms  of  body,  mind  and  heart 
which  made  her  singularly  attractive,  and  which  called  forth  not 
only  the  admiration  but  the  spontaneous  affection,  of  all  who 
fell  under  the  wholesome  spell  of  her  presence.  There  was  noth- 
ing whatever  of  the  bold,  the  self-assertive,  or  mannish  in  her 
nature ;  all  that  was  utterly  alien  and  hateful  to  her ;  but  there 
was  a  combination  of  gentleness  and  strength,  of  modesty  and 
high  spirit,  which  was  at  once  striking  and  beautiful.  She  was 
called  to  fill  many  and  various  positions  in  her  life  in  the  home, 
in  society,  in  the  church,  and  in  the  larger  sphere  of  public  life 
into  which  she  accompanied  her  honored  husband,  and  yet  she 
never  held  a  position  which  she  did  not  dignify  and  adorn. 
Beauty  of  person,  brightness  of  mind,  breadth  of  intelligence, 
soundness  of  principle,  sweetness  of  disposition,  vivacity,  cour- 
age, unflinching  loyalty  and  devotion  to  whatever  person  or  thing 
she  set  her  heart  upon,  were  all  blended  and  balanced  in  her  as 
they  are  in  but  few.  Upon  her  husband  and  children,  first  of  all, 
then  upon  near  kindred  and  close  friends,  she  lavished  the  wealth 
of  her  rich  and  affectionate  nature  without  reluctance  or  reserve. 
Indeed,  upon  all  with  whom  she  came  in  contact  there  fell  the 
impression  of  simplicity,  sincerity,  and  all-pervasive  good-will, 
which  at  once  won  reciprocal  sympathy  and  friendship.  Often 
and  for  long  periods  of  time,  she  was  a  great  sufferer  from  in- 
tense bodily  pain,  but  from  these  baptisms  of  agony  she  always 
emerged  with  a  spirit  which  was  neither  broken  nor  soured. 
Over  all  she  was  a  serene  and  undoubted  victor. 

Mrs.  Stevenson  was  born  to  an  inheritance  and  citizenship 
in  the  Commonwealth  of  Christ.  She  had  a  birthright  in  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven.  This  high  dignity  and  great  blessing  she 
openly  claimed  for  herself  in  her  early  girlhood,  and  she  stead- 
fastly held  to  it,  prized  it  and  rejoiced  in  it  to  the  end.  The 
Risen  and  Glorified  Christ  she  implicitly  trusted  as  her  Saviour, 
and  reverently  adored  as  her  Lord.  She  accepted  with  joy  the 
responsibilities  of  the  Christian  life,  discharged  its  duties  with 
fidelity,  and  bore  its  trials  with  meekness  and  fortitude.  His 
grace  was  sufficient  for  her.  On  Christmas  night  last,  her  sweet, 
chastened,  modest  and  sainted  spirit  ascended  out  of  the  realm 
of  shadows  and  suffering,  into  His  presence,  and  she  saw  face  to 
face,  Him  whom  she  had  long  loved  and  adored.  Dear,  suffering, 
sainted  and  victorious  Friend,  All  Hail,  and  Farewell;  till  the 
shadows  vanish  and  the  darkness  disappears ! 

Through  the  sacred  portals  of  the  home  where  she  so  long 
reigned  as  queen  I  shall  not  here  and  now  attempt  to  pass. 
Into  that  sanctuary  no  outsider,  however  near,  may  presume  to 


38  LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON 

enter.  It  is  enough  to  say  that  her  husband  praises  her  in  the 
gates,  and  her  children  and  grandchildren  rise  up  and  call  her 
blessed.  Now,  in  the  bitter  grief  and  lonesomeness  of  the  separa- 
tion, they  must  feel  a  pathetic  and  solemn  pride  that  they  had  so 
much  to  give  up.  A  great  multitude  mingle  their  tears  with 
theirs,  and  besides  there  are  many  hundreds,  probably  thou- 
sands, near  and  far  away,  on  earth  and  some  in  heaven,  who 
gratefully  acknowledge  the  blessed  touch  of  her  gracious  min- 
istry. 

Dear  Ladies:  I  beg  you  to  dismiss  all  suspicion  that  these 
words  are  in  any  sense  or  degree  fulsome  or  extravagant.  Those 
who  know  me  know  well  that  it  is  not  my  habit  to  speak  idle  and 
wanton  words  in  praise  of  the  dead;  least  of  all  to  speak  such 
words  of  a  dear  and  cherished  friend.  That  would  be  a  desecra- 
tion of  her  memory.  For  more  than  twenty  years  I  was  her 
pastor,  and  for  more  than  forty  I  have  been  her  friend,  and  these 
are  the  words  of  truth  and  soberness.  During  all  these  years 
myself  and  my  family  have  enjoyed  the  close  and  affectionate 
friendship  of  her  who  has  gone  and  of  her  family.  Let  my  right 
hand  forget  its  cunning,  and  my  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  my 
mouth,  if  I  ever  forget  their  gracious  offices  of  love  to  me  and 
mine. 

Let  me  close  this  paper  by  avowing  my  assured  faith  in  the 
sweet  words  of  quaint  old  George  Herbert : 

These  eyes  again  thine  eyes  shall  see ; 
These  hands  again  thy  hands  enfold, 
And  all  sweet  pleasures  to  be  told 
Shall  everlasting  be. 

(Mrs.  Stevenson  did  not  confine  her  interests  to  the  Daugh- 
ters of  the  American  Revolution,  but  found  a  place  in  her  great 
heart  and  mind  for  the  work  of  the  Woman's  Clubs  throughout 
the  country.) 

MRS.  CAROLINE  F.  J.  KIMBALL,  A  FORMER  REGENT  OF  THE 
CHAPTER  SPOKE  OF  MRS.  STEVENSON'S  INTEREST  IN  THE 
WOMAN'S  CLUB  OF  BLOOMINGTON 

We  knew  her  as — 

' '  A  perfect  woman,  nobly  planned 
To  warn,  to  comfort,  and  command. ' ' 

When  to  any  community  comes  the  loss  of  such  a  one  as  was 
our  much  loved  Mrs.  Adlai  E.  Stevenson,  many  strings  of  the 
harp  of  life  are  touched  and  the  vibrations  echo  from  many 
hearts. 

A  perfect  type  of  ideal  womanhood,  born  for  leadership  and 
command,  she  gathered  about  her  many  women  who  gladly  fol- 
lowed wherever  she  led. 


LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON  39 

One  of  the  largest  movements  with  which  she  identified  her- 
self, and  to  which  she  gave  generously  of  her  thoughts,  her  time, 
and  her  strength,  was  the  Woman 's  Club  of  Bloomington. 

This  was  organized  March  22,  1897,  at  a  time  when  women 
were  beginning  to  heed  the  calls  to  social  service  in  aid  of  those 
outside  of  the  home,  and  to  feel  that  such  service  could  be  best 
rendered  through  organization. 

Mrs.  Stevenson,  pre-eminently  a  home-maker,  but  neverthe- 
less one  who  never  evaded  a  responsibility  or  a  duty,  heard  the 
call,  and  headed  the  movement  for  a  union  of  the  women  of  our 
city,  for  co-operative  work  for  themselves  individually  and  for 
the  civic  body. 

For  four  years  she  served  as  president  of  the  club.  Those 
four  years  saw  steady  progress  along  all  lines  of  activity,  and 
when  at  the  end  of  this  period  she  felt  that  she  must  retire  and 
leave  the  burden  to  other  hands  it  was  with  the  greatest  regret 
that  her  resignation  was  accepted. 

At  the  same  time  she  was  unanimously  and  enthusiastically 
elected  President  Emeritus. 

To  her  work  in  the  early  years  of  its  existence,  the  club  is 
greatly  indebted.  Because  of  her  leadership,  her  example  and 
her  counsel  we  are  better  women  and  better  citizens,  with  a  wider 
view  of  our  responsibilities. 

An  able  parliamentarian,  a  wise  and  judicious  presiding  of- 
ficer, her  beautiful  personality,  her  gracious  bearing  and  her 
never  failing  courtesy  endeared  her  to  every  member.  With  the 
poet  we  would  say : 

' '  Grace  was  in  all  her  steps,  heaven  in  her  eye, 
In  every  gesture  dignity  and  love." 


MRS.  MATTHEW   T.   SCOTT,   HONORARY  PRESIDENT   GENERAL, 
OFFERED  A  SISTER'S  TRIBUTE 

Through  the  vista  of  years,  my  thoughts  turn  to  a  line  of 
distinguished  women,  whose  ability  and  fidelity,  dedicated  to  the 
objects,  traditions  and  ideals  of  our  Society,  have  lent  it  lustre 
and  deathless  fame.  A  deeper  touch,  a  tenderer  thrill  throbs 
through  every  fibre  of  my  being,  as  today  I  bring  my  leaf  to  the 
wreath  of  memory,  which  gathers  every  leaf,  every  flower,  every 
petal  of  this  sacred  hour,  in  a  garland  of  everlasting  remem- 
brance. 

Especially  tender  and  pathetic  for  me  is  this  service,  sacred 
to  the  memory  of  the  lovely  and  sainted  woman,  whose  historic 
name  our  beloved  chapter  bears.  The  spirit  of  Letitia  Green 
Stevenson  lingers  in  our  beautiful  city,  a  fragrant  memory  and 
our  chapter  is  honored  in  the  name  which  links  us  closely  with 


4O  LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON 

one  of  the  most  beloved  women  in  our  country — a  name  that 
wherever  it  is  spoken,  has  become  a  synonym  for  feminine  charm, 
dignity  and  tact. 

Not  only  is  the  impress  of  her  beautiful  character  and  her  fine 
personality  stamped  upon  this  splendid  Letitia  Green  Stevenson 
chapter — but  upon  the  great  organization  of  which  she  was  the 
second  President  General.  Her  image  is  an  abiding  inspiration, 
and  her  memory  will  become  one  of  those  beautiful  finger-marks 
in  the  path  of  time,  that  even  the  years  cannot  obliterate. 

My  personal  feeling  is  too  deep  for  utterance,  as  I  recall  the 
passionate  loyalty  to  our  great  Society,  and  its  highest  interests 
which  inspired  this  noble  and  devoted  woman. 

For  me  the  loss  of  her  counsel  and  sympathy,  her  confidence 
and  her  affection,  is  unspeakable.  The  fragile  frame  held  a  spirit 
so  true,  so  radiant  with  that  sincerity  which  is  a  cordial  to  the 
soul — that  I  bow  my  head  in  sorrow  that  no  words  can  express. 

Through  the  last  months  of  suffering  and  weakness — faithful 
unto  death — her  great  heart  still  turned  to  her  beloved  D.  A.  R. 
Society,  and  the  great  interests  it  represents. 

I  am  sure  I  may  be  forgiven  in  this  pathetic  hour,  for  speak- 
ing of  her  devotion  to  myself,  which  was  a  tower  of  strength,  a 
strong  staff  I  leaned  upon,  a  resource  in  trial  that  never  failed 
me. 

The  loss  and  the  grief  are  ours.  "She  has  passed  serenely 
where,  beyond  these  voices,  there  is  peace. ' '  And  of  her  it  may 
truly  be  said,  "Before  she  closed  her  eyes  for  the  last  time,  she 
found  upon  the  record  of  her  stewardship  no  act  of  injustice, 
no  failure  of  duty,  no  shadow  of  wrong,  nor  anything  that 
would  leave  a  blot  upon  her  soul  or  a  stain  upon  her  memory." 

Dr.  J.  N.  Elliott  offered  the  closing  prayer. 


MEMORIAL  COMMITTEE 

MRS.  SAIN  WELTY  MRS.  HARVEY  C.  DEMOTTE 

MRS.  ERNEST  MAMMEN  MRS.  CAROLINE  F.  J.  KIMBALL 

MRS.  HERBERT  M.  ROLLINS          MRS.  RALPH  E.  BROWN 


AMat  lEromij 

Passed  Artay  at  tKe 
Presbyterian  Hospital  of  Chicago 

on  the 
Morning  of  June  14,  1914 


42  ADLAI  EWINQ  STEVENSON 

EDITORIAL  FEOM  THE  BLOOMINGTON  BULLETIN,  JUNE  16 

In  sombre  contrast  to  the  home-comings  of  other  days  was 
the  scene  at  the  railway  station  last  night  where  relatives  and 
friends  gathered  to  accompany  the  body  of  former  Vice-Presi- 
dent Stevenson  to  the  hearth  that  had  been  the  stage  of  so  many 
charming  and  memorable  hospitalities,  but  now  hushed  by  the 
hand  of  death. 

On  more  than  one  great  national  occasion  Mr.  Stevenson  had 
been  welcomed  home  from  victories  which  brought  high  honor  to 
his  city,  and  the  greeting  of  waving  flags,  blaring  bands  and 
cheering  hosts  was  like  the  tributes  given  conquering  generals  of 
old. 

Bloomington  is  justly  proud  of  the  high  achievements  of  a 
universally  loved  and  respected  citizen  who  brought  fame  to  the 
community  in  which  he  lived.  Gaining  almost  the  supreme  am- 
bition of  the  American  citizen  and  standing  for  full  half  a  cen- 
tury in  the  limelight  as  a  state  and  national  figure,  it  was  but 
natural  that  Bloomington  should  have  felt  a  pride  and  pro- 
prietary interest  in  his  career,  but  it  is  as  a  friend  and  neighbor 
that  he  was  best  loved  and  is  most  deeply  mourned  in  his  home 
city,  and  a  higher  tribute  could  not  be  paid  a  public  man.  The 
tall  commanding  figure  and  courtly  grace  of  one  of  the  last  of 
the  gentlemen  and  statesmen  of  the  old  school,  with  the  pleasant 
smile  and  cordial  greeting  for  townspeople,  big  and  little,  will  be 
singularly  missed  from  the  streets  of  Bloomington.  His  home 
life  was  something  ideal  in  mutual  affection,  his  wife,  who  so 
lately  went  before,  having  realized  the  highest  type  of  woman- 
hood, and  the  gatherings  there  on  occasions  of  notable  visitors 
or  local  entertainment  are  events  that  will  never  be  effaced  from 
memory.  Mr.  Stevenson's  wonderful  memory  which  served  him 
so  well  in  affairs  of  state  was  especially  felicitous  in  the  matter 
of  after-dinner  talks  or  informal  conversation  and  his  fund  of 
intimate  stories  of  men  and  events  and  his  captivating  manner  of 
telling  them  made  his  presence  at  any  social  event  a  joy.  His 
fame  in  this  regard  was  nation  wide  and  during  his  many  years ' 
residence  in  Washington  and  travels  on  public  business  he  was  in 
constant  demand.  Fortunately  his  reminiscences  of  the  great 
men  of  America  covering  more  than  fifty  years  will  not  be  lost, 
his  book  ' '  Something  of  Men  I  Have  Known, ' '  being  a  priceless 
legacy  to  history,  as  treating  the  great  figures  of  the  most  stirring 
times  in  a  vein  wholly  apart  from  prosaic  statistics. 

Mr.  Stevenson's  gentle  and  lovable  disposition  and  keen  but 
kindly  wit  coupled  with  an  integrity  in  public  and  private  life 
that  never  felt  a  breath  of  scandal,  made  it  possible  for  him  to 
accomplish  a  miracle.  He  was  possibly  the  only  man  in  America 
who  loomed  large  and  who  was  an  intense  partisan  in  the  days 


ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON  43 

when  oratory  on  the  stump  was  fiercely  bitter,  who  was  able  to 
go  through  the  hardest  fought  campaigns  in  the  forefront  of  bat- 
tle and  still  emerge  without  a  personal  enemy.  So  general  was 
the  feeling  of  friendship  and  respect  that  he  was  twice  elected  to 
congress  as  a  Democrat  in  a  strongly  Eepublican  district,  and 
came  within  a  hairsbreadth  of  carrying  the  state  of  Illinois  as  a 
Democrat  in  a  presidential  year  when  the  head  of  the  Repub- 
lican ticket  went  in  on  an  overwhelming  majority.  So  general 
was  the  respect  and  affection  that  the  demonstrations  from  time 
to  time  when  he  was  the  central  figure  in  great  political  contests 
were  Bloomington  mass  meetings  rather  than  Democratic  rallies. 

While  Mr.  Stevenson  goes  out  from  a  perfectly  rounded  life 
rich  in  honors  and  ripe  in  years  and  passes  to  the  reward  of  one 
strong  in  the  faith  of  his  fathers,  nevertheless  Bloomington  parts 
with  him  with  deep  sorrow.  Time  had  not  dulled  his  wit  or  dead- 
ened his  interest  in  matter  of  the  moment  and  the  younger  gen- 
eration had  not  learned  to  look  upon  him  as  an  old  man. 

Perhaps  no  finer  concluding  chapter  could  be  given  any  man 
than  to  have  grown  old  so  gracefully  and  beautifully  that  the 
world  did  not  know  it. 

EDITORIAL  FROM  THE  BLOOMINGTON  PANTAGRAPH,  JUNE  15 

In  the  passing  of  Hon.  Adlai  Ewing  Stevenson,  Bloomington 
loses  its  best  known  and  most  honored  citizen.  Coming  to  this 
community  from  Kentucky  as  a  youth  in  the  fifties,  he  grew  rap- 
idly into  the  confidence  of  his  fellow  citizens  and  this  confidence 
gained  him  high  public  honors,  altho  he  was  allied  with  the  party 
which  has  been  in  the  minority  most  of  the  time  since  the  civil 
war. 

As  much  as  anything  else  the  life  of  Mr.  Stevenson  illustrated 
the  power  and  influence  of  personality  in  reaching  prominence  in 
public  affairs.  First  of  all  he  was  a  gentleman  under  every  con- 
dition and  even  in  the  days  when  party  lines  were  strictly  drawn 
and  party  feeling  ran  high  he  numbered  his  following  far  beyond 
his  party's  strength.  This  was  demonstrated  by  his  election  to 
congress  twice  in  a  strong  Republican  district  and  by  the  narrow 
margin  of  his  defeat  in  two  other  instances. 

In  the  first  Cleveland  administration  Mr.  Stevenson  was  hon- 
ored with  the  important  appointment  of  first  assistant  postmaster 
general.  By  1892  he  had  become  a  national  figure  and  in  that 
year  was  nominated  and  elected  to  the  second  highest  office  in  the 
gift  of  the  American  people — the  vice  presidency.  Again  in  1900 
he  was  the  candidate  of  his  party  for  the  same  office.  In  1908, 
as  Democratic  candidate  for  governor  of  Illinois,  he  was  defeated 
by  scant  thousands  in  a  heavy  Republican  year. 

Although  public  demands  upon  him  were  many,  Mr.  Steven- 


44  ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON 

son  found  time  during  his  later  years  to  write  a  book  of  reminis- 
cences of  his  long  public  life,  which  ranks  high  in  its  particular 
field.  Free  from  rancor  and  political  prejudice  this  volume  pos- 
sesses an  intimate  quality  which  reflects  many  of  the  characteris- 
tics of  Mr.  Stevenson  and  discloses  the  impulses  which  resulted 
in  its  author's  many  achievements. 

Mr.  Stevenson 's  life  spanned  the  most  eventful  and  important 
period  of  American  history.  It  began  under  the  era  of  slavery, 
witnessed  the  great  sectional  agitation  which  brought  on  the  civil 
war,  saw  the  overthrow  of  the  rebellion  and  the  restoration  of  the 
union  on  a  stronger  basis  than  ever  before  and  was  contemporary 
with  the  great  development  period  of  the  nation.  In  all  this  time 
he  was  a  more  or  less  prominent  and  active  figure. 

Mr.  Stevenson  was  a  model  citizen  in  all  the  walks  of  life — 
affectionate  and  devoted  to  his  family,  deeply  interested  in  his 
community  and  solicitous  for  the  welfare  of  his  state  and  his 
country.  Full  of  honors,  he  lived  far  past  his  allotted  three  score 
and  ten,  but  has  died  too  soon,  in  the  opinion  of  all  who  knew 
him. 

A  PROCLAMATION  PUBLISHED  JUNE  16th 

The  nation  has  lost  one  of  its  noblest  sons,  and  we  his  neigh- 
bors feel  keenest  his  passing  away.  Bloomington  is  in  tears.  The 
tenderest  child,  the  bent  old,  those  occupied  in  the  professions 
and  in  business  feel  alike  the  spell  of  sorrow.  There  was  only  one 
Mr.  Stevenson.  Our  loved  city  shall  not  have  his  like  again.  To 
him  who  has  so  exalted  our  community  we  cannot  do  enough 
honor. 

By  virtue  of  my  office  as  Mayor  of  Bloomington  I  commend 
the  business  men  of  Bloomington  in  their  purpose  to  close  their 
doors  tomorrow  between  the  hours  of  2  and  4  o'clock  when  the 
funeral  will  be  in  progress. 

JAMES  COSTELLO, 

Mayor  of  the  City  of  Bloomington. 


JUNE  17 

Under  the  slanting  rays  of  the  afternoon  sun  of  a  beautiful 
June  day,  they  lowered  to  its  last  earthly  house  the  mortal  part 
of  Adlai  E.  Stevenson,  while  all  the  city  mourned  in  the  pres- 
ence of  its  people,  and  all  the  state  paid  honor  through  the  pres- 
ence of  its  highest  officials,  and  the  nation  sent  its  tribute  of 
respect  in  the  persons  of  some  of  its  distinguished  present  and 
past  officials. 

The  simple  service  of  burial — a  word  of  scripture  and  a  breath 
of  prayer — followed  several  hours  of  more  formal  honors  given 


ADLAI  EWINQ  STEVENSON  45 

as  the  last  meed  of  sorrow  for  the  passing  of  a  man  whom  his 
neighbors  and  fellow  citizens  ever  held  in  high  esteem. 

Early  in  the  afternoon,  incoming  trains  from  several  direc- 
tions brought  here  a  group  of  public  men  from  all  parts  of  the 
country. 

Governor  and  Mrs.  Dunne,  the  Governor's  Staff  and  all  the 
State  Officers  were  present  from  Springfield;  also,  former  Vice 
President,  Charles  W.  Fairbanks,  of  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  Ex- 
Secretary  of  the  Interior,  David  B.  Francis,  of  St.  Louis,  who 
was  a  member  of  the  Cleveland  Cabinet  at  the  time  Mr.  Stev- 
enson was  Vice  President.  The  Iroquois  Club  of  Chicago  sent 
a  large  delegation.  In  addition  there  were  many  relatives  and 
friends  from  a  distance. 

At  12:30  o'clock  the  funeral  party  left  the  Stevenson  home, 
and  proceeded  to  the  court  house,  where  the  body  of  Mr.  Steven- 
son lay  in  state  from  that  time  until  2 :45  p.  m.  The  procession 
from  the  residence  to  the  court  house  was  led  by  the  famous  1892 
Stevenson  escort  of  forty  members,  Company  D,  Fifth  Infantry, 
Illinois  National  Guard,  the  pallbearers  and  the  honorary  pall- 
bearers. 

THOUSANDS  VIEWED  BODY 

The  bier  which  was  surrounded  by  a  profusion  of  floral  offer- 
ings rested  near  the  northwest  corner  of  the  main  corridor  of  the 
court  house.  Above  it  on  the  walls  were  draped  silk  flags  and 
from  the  west  arch  of  the  corridor  nearly  directly  over  the  casket 
was  draped  a  large  American  flag. 

A  guard  of  honor  of  eight  members  of  Company  D  guarded 
the  body,  one  holding  an  American  flag,  draped  with  crepe. 

Another  guard  of  soldiers  stationed  at  the  entrance  and  the 
exit  assisted  in  ushering  the  crowds  thru  the  county  building 
and  Sheriff  Reeder  and  his  deputies,  stationed  at  the  east  en- 
trance, kept  the  crowd  in  proper  line  of  march  so  that  there  was 
no  confusion  whatever.  From  the  hour  that  the  casket  found  a 
resting  place  in  the  corridor  of  the  county  building  until  2:45 
o  'clock  there  was  a  steady  stream  of  humanity  which  wended  its 
way  past  the  bier  of  the  departed,  to  catch  one  fleeting  glance  of 
the  countenance  of  the  deceased  statesman.  It  is  conservatively 
estimated  that  fully  7,000  people  viewed  the  body. 

When  the  hour  of  the  funeral  services  at  the  church  arrived, 
there  were  hundreds  of  people  who  had  congregated  at  the  east 
door,  who  could  not  be  admitted  to  the  building  by  reason  of  lack 
of  time  in  which  to  allow  them  to  pass  thru.  The  court  house 
yard  was  filled  with  people  and  the  streets  in  the  uptown  district 
were  packed  almost  to  their  capacity. 

The  funeral  procession  formed  at  the  west  side  of  the  court 
house  square  and  the  body  was  taken  from  the  west  entrance. 
The  Bloomington  band  led  the  procession  and  played  softly 


46  ADLAI  EWINQ  STEVENSON 

' '  Dolore, ' '  a  funeral  dirge  by  Pettee.  Next  in  order  came  Rev. 
J.  N.  Elliott  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  church  and  Rev.  Edgar 
D.  Jones  of  the  First  Christian  church,  followed  by  the  pallbear- 
ers and  the  honorary  pallbearers.  Then  came  Vice-President 
Fairbanks,  Gov.  Edward  F.  Dunne,  Ex-Gov.  Fifer,  President 
David  Felmley,  and  many  other  notables  of  which  mention  is 
made  elsewhere.  Then  came  the  members  of  the  McLean  County 
Bar  Association;  the  Stevenson  escort,  officers  and  employes  of 
the  People's  Bank,  and  Mayor  Costello  and  the  members  of  the 
city  council  and  officials  of  the  city  administration.  A  platoon 
of  police  handled  the  crowd  along  the  line  of  march  and  also 
guarded  the  entrances  at  the  church  during  the  hour  of  the  fun- 
eral service. 

SERVICES  IN  THE  SECOND  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 
REMARKS  OF  EDGAR  DE  WITT  JONES 

For  more  than  two  decades  Bloomington,  Illinois,  has  been 
known  this  nation  over  as  the  home  of  Hon.  Adlai  E.  Stevenson. 
Because  of  him  more  than  any  other  man  the  name  of  the  city 
we  love  has  gone  the  world  round.  Verily  it  is  true  that  ' '  none 
of  us  liveth  to  himself  and  none  dieth  to  himself."  In  the  life 
and  death  of  Mr.  Stevenson  his  fame  and  glory  are  shared  with 
the  nation  he  served,  the  state  he  honored,  and  especially  with 
the  city  where  his  home  has  been  for  half  a  century. 

Mr.  Stevenson's  public  career  was  long,  varied  and  distin- 
guished. Congressman,  assistant  postmaster  general,  vice  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  member  of  the  monetary  commission 
to  England,  France  and  Germany,  nominee  of  his  party  for  vice 
president  in  1900  and  1908  candidate  for  governor  of  Illinois  in 
what  was  the  most  extraordinary  campaign  of  his  entire  career — 
such  in  barest  outline  was  our  first  citizen's  life  in  the  nation. 

Singularly  strong  and  praiseworthy  were  certain  qualities  in 
Mr.  Stevenson's  life  as  a  public  man.  First,  and  foremost,  is  the 
fact  that  throughout  his  long  and  notable  career  he  ever  wore 
the  white  flower  of  a  blameless  life.  Active  as  he  was  in  a  po- 
litical period  characterized  by  campaigns  of  personalities  and 
incriminations  and  marred  sometimes  by  methods  now  discred- 
ited Mr.  Stevenson  kept  his  heart  pure.  Through  forty  years  of 
public  service  and  a  score  of  successful  campaigns  he  bore  his 
escutcheon  unspotted  to  the  end. 

Mr.  Stevenson  was  a  party  man,  but  not  a  partisan.  In  a  day 
when  prejudice  and  rancor  were  rife  and  party  spirit  ran  riot, 
Mr.  Stevenson  preserved  that  fine  large  charity  which  ' '  vaunteth 
not  itself"  and  "thinketh  no  evil."  Here  at  home  in  the  midst 
of  campaigns  of  widespread  interest  and  elections  fraught  with 
intense  excitement  he  was  never  known  to  engage  in  controversy 
or  arguments  with  his  fellow  townsmen  who  differed  with  him 


ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON  47 

politically.  Moreover  he  numbered  among  his  closest  friends 
many  men  of  political  views  other  than  his  own.  This  of  itself 
is  an  extraordinary  tribute  to  a  nature  which  was  large  and  gen- 
erous and  possessing  a  perfect  genius  for  friendship. 

Mr.  Stevenson's  friends  in  public  life  included  the  most  dis- 
tinguished leaders  of  the  last  thirty  or  forty  years.  Congress- 
men, senators,  justices  of  the  supreme  court,  cabinet  officers 
presidents,  with  them  he  mingled  alike,  honoring  and  being  hon- 
ored. Fortunately  these  rich  and  varied  experiences  are  in  a 
measure  treasured  up  for  us  and  for  those  who  shall  come  after 
us,  in  his  fascinating  book, ' '  Something  of  Men  I  Have  Known, ' ' 
a  volume  that  will  be  read  with  interest  and  profit  by  thousands 
yet  to  be. 

Bloomington  was  justly  proud  of  its  first  citizen  and  de- 
lighted to  do  him  honor.  No  notable  event  in  this  city  was  com- 
plete without  Mr.  Stevenson's  presence  and  participation.  How 
often  his  voice  has  been  heard  at  great  gatherings,  in  conventions, 
at  banquet  boards  and  in  memorial  meetings.  This  comfort- 
able home  on  Franklin  park  square  has  been  our  city's  golden 
milestone,  where  all  our  main  traveled  streets  converged.  When 
our  friends  came  from  afar  their  visits  were  consummated  when 
they  had  called  upon  our  first  citizen.  How  wide  the  doors.  How 
generous  the  hospitality  of  that  home !  How  unfailing  the  cour- 
tesy of  that  genial  host!  How  courtly  his  manner!  All  in  all 
we  shall  not  look  upon  his  like  again. 

And  now  he  is  gone  Bloomington  can  never  be  again  just  what 
it  was  when  Mr.  Stevenson  was  alive.  The  old  homestead  on  the 
park  square  will  be  eloquent  in  its  loneliness.  We  shall  miss  the 
courtly  figure  from  our  streets  and  seek  in  vain  the  outstretched 
hand  of  greeting.  But  nothing,  thank  God!  can  deprive  us  of 
his  memory. 

Today  loving  friends  and  neighbors  will  lay  our  chief  citizen 
to  rest  by  the  side  of  the  wife  of  his  youth  and  not  far  from  that 
illustrious  group  of  his  old-time  friends,  who  have  gone  on  be- 
fore— David  Davis  and  Matthew  T.  Scott;  Isaac  Phillips  and 
Gen.  McNulta;  Lawrence  Weldon  and  Robert  Williams,  and  in 
the  years  to  come  what  the  tomb  of  Clay  is  to  Lexington,  what 
the  shrine  of  Jefferson  is  to  Monticello,  so  shall  the  grave  of 
Stevenson  be  to  Bloomington. 

REMARKS  OF  REV.  J.  N.  ELLIOTT 

"If  we  were  assembled  here  to  give  public  welcome  to  Mr. 
Stevenson,  returning  from  the  fulfillment  of  the  labors  of  state 
or  from  the  completion  of  some  mission  abroad,  what  an  occasion 
of  rejoicing  it  would  be,  for  he  was  a  man  whom  it  was  a  delight 
to  honor.  But  we  have  come  with  sadness  and  tears  to  take  leave 
of  him,  and  to  perform  for  him  the  last  rites  of  earth. 


48  ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON 

"It  is  an  occasion  of  sorrow.  Bloomington  mourns,  the  state 
and  the  nation  mourn,  friends  are  bereft  and  loved  ones  are 
bowed  in  grief.  His  life  among  us  gave  happiness  and  conferred 
distinction,  his  presence  brought  cheer,  his  words  mingled  wis- 
dom and  kindness,  his  genial  humor  beguiled  us  in  the  social 
hour.  We  are  all  poorer  because  of  his  decease. 

This  is  also  an  occasion  of  peace  and  comforting  memories. 
He  sleeps  in  our  presence  in  the  quiet  majesty  of  death,  his  spirit 
having  returned  to  God.  We  recall  with  pride  and  greatest  satis- 
faction that  after  a  long  life  and  a  distinguished  public  career 
his  name  is  handed  down  to  his  family  and  to  his  country  un- 
tarnished by  a  single  discreditable  or  dishonorable  act.  Upon  the 
record  of  his  private  and  public  life  his  name  shall  remain  a 
synonym  for  honor,  justice  and  integrity. 

We  recall,  too,  that  he  walked  in  the  light  that  does  not  fail. 
Early  Christian  teachings  did  not  depart  from  him.  He  paid  sin- 
cere reverence  to  the  things  of  God  and  ever  listened  to  the  voice 
of  an  enlightened  and  sensitive  conscience.  For  him,  life  was 
more  than  fame ;  the  soul  than  the  things  that  a  man  possesses. 
Every  pastor  of  this  church  had  in  him  a  loyal  parishioner,  a 
kind  and  helpful  friend,  and  he  was  ever  ready  to  give  a  hearty 
word  of  encouragement.  He  was  charitable  toward  the  failings 
of  others.  In  the  unfailing  light  of  revelation  he  lived,  and  in  its 
serene  peace  he  passed  into  its  clearer  shining  and  fuller  dis- 
closure. 

In  the  letter  presented  to  Mr.  Stevenson  by  the  senate  of  the 
United  States  when  retiring  from  the  presidency  of  that  distin- 
guished body,  there  in  a  sentence  which  seems  to  me  to  most  aptly 
describe  him.  I  quote  in  part:  "We  have  observed  the  signal 
ability,  fidelity  and  impartiality,  as  well  as  the  uniform  courtesy 
and  kindness  toward  every  member  of  this  body,  which  have 
characterized  your  official  action."  This  truly  describes  him  to 
us  all — signal  ability,  fidelity  and  impartiality,  uniform  courtesy 
and  kindness. 

Nearly  six  months  ago  a  similar  scene  of  sorrow  was  witnessed 
here.  His  beloved  wife,  the  revered  Mrs.  Stevenson  of  every 
blessed  memory,  was  borne  hence  whither  we  bear  him  today. 
That  sad  event  fell  heavily  upon  him,  and  we  have  thought  he 
has  been  lonely  ever  since  her  going.  But  he  was  brave  and  hope- 
ful. Then  his  own  strength  failed ;  and  they  who  were  united  in 
life  were  not  long  separated  in  death.  Side  by  side  they  shall 
sleep,  their  work  ended,  their  day  of  life  here  done,  the  glory 
and  the  happiness  of  the  future  theirs  to  share  together  forever. 
Rev.  Mr.  Elliott  closed  with  words  of  comfort  for  the  family. 


ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON  49 

BY  REV.  MARTIN  D.  HABDIN 

It  will  fall  to  the  lot  of  few  of  us  ever  to  pay  deep  and 
loving  personal  tribute  to  a  fuller  or  nobler  life  than  that  of 
Mr.  Stevenson.  In  every  relationship  where  men  owe  moral 
obligation  to  their  God  and  fellows,  he  did  his  part  nobly.  It 
can  be  truthfully  said  of  him  that  no  one  ever  knew  him  well 
without  being  made  not  only  better  but  happier  for  that 
knowledge.  His  pathway  through  nearly  four  score  years  was 
one  of  light. 

It  is,  therefore,  eminently  fitting  that  this  hour  should  be 
spent  in  thinking  over  those  characteristics  and  qualities  of 
mind  and  heart  which  made  his  life  rich  in  service  to  his  fam- 
ily, his  friends,  his  city,  his  state  and  nation. 

Born  in  Kentucky  nearly  79  years  ago,  from  Scotch-Irish 
parentage,  he  had  his  early  childhood  in  an  old-fashioned  Pres- 
byterian home  of  simplicity  and  unaffected  piety.  In  later  life 
many  honors  came  to  him;  but  among  all  his  mementoes,  he 
cherished  nothing  more  highly  than  the  little  Bible  which  was 
given  to  him  when  he  was  ten  years  of  age,  for  a  perfect  recita- 
tion from  memory  of  the  Shorter  Catechism.  His  boyhood  was 
spent  in  a  home  where  the  family  altar  was  as  faithfully  sought 
to  give  spiritual  nourishment,  as  the  breakfast  table  to  give 
food  to  the  body.  From  the  deeper  influences  of  that  old-fash- 
ioned, God-fearing  home,  his  life  never  departed.  The  lessons 
learned  there  entered  into  the  very  fibre  of  his  soul;  and  to 
glorify  God  and  keep  His  commandments,  was  the  deep,  under- 
lying purpose  that  gave  strength  and  dignity,  purity  and  honor 
to  his  whole  career.  Life  to  him  was  the  gift  of  God.  Duty 
to  him  was  to  do  the  Will  of  God,  and  he  never  consciously  set 
himself  against  the  eternal  moral  order. 

Sixty-one  years  ago  as  a  lad  he  came  with  his  parents  to 
the  then  little  village  of  Bloomington.  From  his  early  boyhood 
he  had  an  eager,  passionate  love  of  books,  and  here  he  fitted 
himself  for  college.  He  entered  Center  College  at  Danville, 
Kentucky,  and  remained  until  his  junior  year,  when  on  account 
of  the  death  of  his  father,  he  was  called  home,  as  the  eldest 
son,  to  assume  the  care  of  his  widowed  mother  and  younger 
brothers  and  sisters.  At  his  father's  bedside  he  promised  to 
look  after  and  care  for  those  who  looked  to  him  for  protection, 
and  no  promise  ever  made  was  more  faithfully  kept. 

With  his  alert  and  eager  mind  and  wonderfully  retentive 
memory,  he  soon  had  fitted  himself  for  entrance  into  the  prac- 
tice of  law.  Once  in  his  life 's  profession,  his  advance  was  rapid, 
and  he  early  attained  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  strong 
men  at  the  bar  which  had  been  familiar  with  the  pleadings  of 
Lincoln  and  Douglas  and  many  other  men  of  scarcely  inferior 
talent. 


5O  ADLAI  EWINQ  STEVENSON 

"With  a  genius  for  making  close  personal  friends,  in  a  dis- 
trict which  was  overwhelmingly  of  the  opposite  party,  he  was 
elected  state 's  attorney.  In  this  position  he  began  the  formation 
of  that  wide  acquaintanceship  with  men  and  measures  which 
made  him  one  of  the  recognized  leaders  of  his  party  in  the  state, 
and  a  little  later  sent  him  as  a  representative  to  congress.  His 
standing  in  the  state,  his  wide  personal  popularity,  and  his  ster- 
ling worth  as  a  man  led  Mr.  Cleveland,  during  his  first  adminis- 
tration, to  appoint  him  first  assistant  postmaster  general.  Here, 
with  that  growing  capacity  for  grappling  men  to  him  with  hooks 
stronger  than  those  of  steel,  he  won  a  popularity  with  the  men 
of  his  party  which  made  him  the  natural  candidate  for  vice- 
president  with  Mr.  Cleveland  in  the  campaign  of  1892.  It  was 
in  no  small  degree  due  to  his  name  on  the  ticket  that  that  year, 
for  the  first  time  since  the  war,  Illinois  cast  her  electoral  vote  for 
the  Democratic  party. 

"As  vice-president  of  the  United  States  he  filled  this  high 
office  with  honor,  efficiency  and  dignity,  retiring  from  his  seat  as 
presiding  officer  of  the  senate  not  only  with  respect,  but  with  the 
affection  of  all  the  senators,  regardless  of  party  affiliation. 

"While  Mr.  Stevenson  was  a  man  of  deep  convictions  and 
fought  hard  for  those  political  principles  which  he  believed  best, 
there  was  ever  in  his  soul  such  a  sense  of  justice,  such  a  natural 
tendency  not  to  overstep  the  bounds  of  reason,  such  a  clear  con- 
sciousness of  the  difference  between  principles  and  personalities, 
such  freedom  from  mere  ranting  partisanship,  that  he  never 
made  a  personal  enemy  out  of  any  political  opponent.  It  can 
be  said  of  him  that  in  all  his  political  career ;  through  all  his  po- 
litical battles — sometimes  winning,  sometimes  losing — he  never 
came  out  of  a  conflict  without  the  personal  esteem  of  his  oppo- 
nent. Some  of  his  warmest  personal  friends,  the  men  whom 
he  loved  best  and  who  loved  him  best,  were  among  those  who 
had  been  opposing  nominees  for  office.  Such  a  fact,  rare  in 
the  annals  of  American  politics,  is  a  tribute  unspeakably  beau- 
tiful to  the  purity  and  rectitude  of  a  big  soul  and  a  truly 
magnanimous  nature. 

Those  of  us  who  knew  Mr.  Stevenson  well  know  that  ho 
had  a  remarkable  memory.  But  deep  in  oblivion,  from  which 
even  no  faintest  echo  ever  resounded,  he  buried  forever  out  of 
consciousness  every  reminder  of  unfairness  or  unMndness  from 
his  fellowmen.  Where  he  could  not  speak  well  of  men  his  lips 
were  silent. 

Mr.  Stevenson's  public  career  was  one  of  fidelity  and  honor, 
wide  service  and  more  than  ordinary  success.  Beginning  as  a 
poor  boy — with  no  help  further  than  of  his  own  native  ability — 
he  climbed,  step  by  step,  until  he  had  reached  to  within  one 
of  the  highest  office  in  the  gift  of  the  American  people.  In 
every  position  he  measured  fully  up  to  the  responsibilities  of 


ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON  5  I 

his  office,  and  in  an  age  which  has  seen  many  a  business  and 
political  reputation  tarnished,  no  breath  of  suspicion  was  ever 
breathed  against  any  of  his  private  or  public  acts.  During  his 
more  than  fifty  years  of  public  service  his  name  has  remained 
a  synonym  for  stainless  honor — a  great  heritage  this  to  his  family 
and  friends  and  fellow  citizens. 

But  it  is  not  of  Mr.  Stevenson  as  a  public  character  that  we 
today  think  most.  High  as  were  his  honors,  and  wide  as  was 
his  knowledge  of  public  men  and  public  measures,  and  sub- 
stantial as  were  his  contributions  to  the  political  history  of  his 
time,  to  those  of  us  who  knew  him  best  the  man  himself  was 
greater  than  any  or  all  of  his  achievements.  His  was  an  out- 
standing personality  which  gave  grace  to  his  position,  rather 
than  a  life  which  borrowed  its  interest  from  place. 

' '  The  charm  of  Mr.  Stevenson  was  not  in  the  fact  that  he  had 
attained  conspicuous  honors,  but  rather  in  his  breadth  of  knowl- 
edge, in  his  remarkable  familiarity  with  all  the  minutest  details 
of  American  history,  in  his  wide  and  sympathetic  understanding 
of  men,  and  in  his  ability  ever  to  forget  himself  and  give  himself 
unreservedly  to  the  pleasure  of  those  who  were  in  his  company. 
As  a  conversationalist  he  was  without  a  rival,  and  when  the  day's 
work  was  over,  to  spend  an  evening  with  him  was  an  education, 
inspiration  and  delight  which  no  man  of  refinement  could  ever 
forget. 

In  his  autobiography,  Ambassador  Andrew  D.  White  made 
the  statement  that  of  all  the  public  or  literary  men  he  had  ever 
known,  Mr.  Stevenson  was  the  most  delightful  reconteur.  With 
a  memory  which  was  ever  the  wonder  of  his  friends,  and  a  grace 
and  accuracy  of  expression  quite  full  of  charm,  and  a  quiet,  bub- 
bling, incessant  humor  that  can  never  be  forgotten,  he  would  talk 
of  men  and  times  gone  by  with  a  fascination  that  sped  the  hours 
as  on  magic  wings.  Under  his  touch  the  incident  which  would 
have  been  lost  to  a  less  sympathetic  nature  took  on  some  bright 
glow  of  life  and  color,  and  proved  as  fascinating  as  a  romance. 
He  looked  at  life  with  eyes  full  of  charity,  and  when  the  years 
had  ripened,  his  mind  was  stored  with  a  vast  wealth  of  mem- 
ories, quaint,  grave  and  serious,  interesting,  instructive  and 
charming,  luminous,  humorous  and  kindly. 

"He  ever  gave  one  the  impression  of  a  heart  from  self  set 
free;  of  a  soul  at  peace  with  God  and  man;  of  a  mind  in  the 
serene  liberty  of  a  large  knowledge  of  the  world.  He  was  at 
home  in  many  of  the  broad  ranges  of  human  thought  and  en- 
deavor. It  is  only  such  a  life  from  self  set  free  which  can  read- 
ily and  naturally  have  room  in  it  for  all  those  kindly  courtesies 
which  were  characteristic  of  Mr.  Stevenson.  His  sympathies 
were  broad  and  generous.  He  found  a  real  joy  in  doing  kindly 
things,  and  no  human  being  ever  appealed  to  him  for  help  in 


52  ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON 

vain  where  it  was  within  his  power  to  meet  the  request  and  so 
rare  and  gracious  was  his  tact  and  so  genuine  his  love,  that  he 
always  left  the  recipient  with  a  feeling  that  it  had  been  he  who 
had  granted  the  favor.  For  his  friends  he  was  ever  ready  for 
any  sacrifice.  He  loved  young  men,  and  many  are  the  men  to- 
day who  owe  not  a  little  of  what  they  are  to  the  start  which  he 
helped  to  give  them. 

Mr.  Stevenson's  nature  was  one  of  supreme  good  will  and 
graciousness.  One  of  the  marked  evidences  of  that  kindliness  was 
to  be  found  in  his  rare  and  winsome  humor.  His  like  in  this 
sphere  many  of  us  will  never  see  again.  With  men  of  dominat- 
ing selfishness,  humor  becomes  a  thing  of  satire — words  barbed, 
or  with  a  sting  in  them.  They  fly  forth  to  maim  and  to  wound, 
and  leave  some  heart  bleeding.  But  when  humor  is  the  gift  of 
such  a  temperament  as  that  of  Mr.  Stevenson's — a  tender,  pure 
and  gracious  soul — it  is  made  to  play  about  life  with  the  light 
and  winsome  joy  of  a  magician's  wand.  And  there  is  not  one 
of  us  here  today  who  knew  Mr.  Stevenson  well,  who  cannot 
recall  the  times  when  with  rare  power  he  drove  away  from 
leaden  hearts  dull  care,  lifted  heaviness  of  spirit,  and  made  us 
feel  anew  that,  after  all,  it's  a  kindly,  good  world  in  which  we 
dwell.  A  man  with  such  a  power  goes  through  life  radiating 
sunshine.  He  held  the  wine  of  gladness  to  our  lips  and  bade 
us  drink  to  the  health  of  all  happiness  and  good  will. 

"But  with  all  his  bubbling  humor,  how  completely  he  escaped 
the  dangers  which  go  with  such  a  gift,  of  vulgarity  on  the  one 
hand  and  mere  frivolity  on  the  other.  Such  a  wealth  of  apt  and 
telling  stories,  and  among  them  all  not  one  that  could  not  have 
been  told  unblushingly  in  the  presence  of  his  mother!  Such  a 
continual  play  of  witticisms,  and  not  one  which  did  not  have  in 
it  wholesomeness  and  pure  joy. 

Yes,  we  cannot  measure  the  good,  the  health  of  spirit,  the 
restorations  to  wholesome  hopefulness  coming  from  such  a  man 
and  glorifying  what  otherwise  would  be  "the  dreary  inter- 
course of  daily  life. "  He  made  his  cheer  a  real  ministry  to  the 
hearts  of  men.  Where  he  was  yokes  grew  magically  easy  and 
burdens  light. 

"Another  manifestation  of  his  spirit  of  good  will  was  to  be 
found  in  his  courtliness.  He  was  ever  the  perfect  gentleman  of 
the  old  school.  His  bearing  in  the  presence  of  women  was  that 
of  one  who  felt,  not  merely  assumed,  the  rightfulness  of  those 
gentle  amenities  which  go  so  far  toward  keeping  life  upon  the 
high  plane  of  beauty  and  honor.  The  very  wave  of  his  hand  was 
incarnate  courtesy.  Truly  a  gentle  man. 

"It  would  not  be  becoming  in  me  here  today  to  lift  far  the 
veil  of  privacy  in  Mr.  Stevenson's  home  life.  But  I  trust  I  am 
not  transgressing  when  I  say  that,  if  those  of  you  who  knew  him 


ADLAI  EWINQ  STEVENSON  53 

as  friend  and  neighbor  and  fellow  citizen  have  many  reasons  for 
honoring  and  deeply  admiring  his  character,  those  of  us  who 
knew  him  in  the  circle  of  his  own  family  can  but  hold  his  mem- 
ory in  sacred  devotion.  He  was  not  one  man  in  public  and  an- 
other at  home.  If  there  was  a  difference  at  all,  it  was  that  here 
his  kindliness  was  incessant ;  here  his  courtesy  was  at  its  finest ; 
here  his  humor  played  constantly,  like  the  dancing  shafts  of  sum- 
mer sunlight  through  the  leaves  of  the  trees;  ere  his  mind  and 
heart  overflowed  in  a  thousand  genial  forms  of  grace  that  will 
make  his  children,  while  life  lasts,  rise  up  and  call  his  name 
blessed.  His  morning  greetings  were  like  the  coming  of  sum- 
mer's day;  his  goodnights  were  benedictions  rich  in  heaven's 
peace  and  love.  He  made  the  word  'Father'  as  broad  and  shel- 
tering, secure  and  serene  to  our  minds  as  the  all-embracing  sky. 

"But  when  I  say  these  things  concerning  Mr.  Stevenson  in 
the  home,  our  minds  are  led  to  that  other  solemn  hour,  when 
we  were  gathered  here,  little  more  than  five  months  ago,  to  pay 
tribute  to  his  dear  life 's  partner.  His  full  and  strong  life  could 
not  have  been  without  hers.  Her  radiant  personality  would  have 
been  incomplete  without  him.  Together  they  made  a  Christian 
home  which  will  long  be  remembered  by  those  who  knew  its 
inner  life,  as  one  of  those  ideal  social  forces,  the  beauty  and  good 
of  which  God  alone  can  measure. 

When  we  stop  to  think  of  the  far-reaching  effect,  in  example 
and  direct  moulding  power,  of  the  home,  what  it  means  to  pos- 
terity and  to  civilization,  and  the  upholding  of  all  high  ideal- 
ism— I  think  we  can  count  among  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stevenson's 
greatest  achievements  the  fact  that,  together,  they  lived  a  life  of 
such  singular  beauty  and  devotion,  that  by  their  united  love  and 
service,  they  have  helped  us  all  to  hold  deeper  reverence  for  two 
of  God's  holiest  institutions,  marriage  and  home.  So  completely 
one  were  they  that  when  Mrs.  Stevenson  passed  on  he  was  never 
afterward  himself.  His  body  was  here,  but  'where  your  treasure 
is,  there  will  your  heart  be  also.'  And  whatever  sorrow  there 
may  be  here  today,  I  cannot  but  feel  that  it  is  vastly  overbalanced 
by  the  joy  over  there,  where  life's  majority  ever  will  be. 

' '  This,  in  briefest  outline,  was  the  temper  of  the  brave,  good 
spirit  which  has  gone  home  to  God.  His  race  on  earth  is  run. 
His  sun  has  set.  But  in  the  hush  of  this  hour,  with  its  mellow 
afterglow,  we  feel  the  sacred  peace  and  presence  of  God. 

' '  This  is  the  life  we  honor,  that  of  a  man  whose  personality 
was  rich  in  those  spiritual  qualities  that  unite  our  humanity  in 
indissoluble  bonds  of  affection ;  those  qualities  of  soul  which  give 
life  a  meaning  and  a  hope  too  vast  for  even  four  score  years.  We 
see  him  as  a  youth,  eager  for  knowledge,  with  frank,  open  heart, 
ready  to  welcome  life;  as  a  young  man,  industrious,  energetic, 
and  forging  ahead  into  an  ever  larger  share  of  the  common  re- 


54  ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON 

sponsibilities  of  community  and  state ;  as  a  man  of  maturity,  com- 
ing into  the  rich  rewards  of  friendship,  honor  and  power;  as  a 
man  of  old  age,  ripe  in  tenderness,  sympathy  and  wisdom.  His 
was  a  singularly  happy  life ;  happy  in  the  conscious  love  of  his 
fellowmen.  He  was  singularly  well  poised.  He  had  ambition 
without  selfishness  or  sordidness;  fidelity  to  principles  without 
bitterness,  or  partisanship ;  great  cordiality  without  wearing  his 
heart  on  his  sleeve ;  an  irrepressible  and  irresistible  humor  with- 
out frivolity ;  a  profound  sense  of  life 's  seriousness  without  heav- 
iness; dignity  without  dullness  or  distance;  honor  without 
haughtiness  or  condescension;  broad  culture  without  pedantry, 
and  a  nature  profoundly  religious,  without  cant  or  bigotry. 

''In  the  highest  sense  he  was  what  I  should  call  a  child- 
hearted — Christ-hearted  man,  whose  life  adds  dignity  and 
breadth  to  our  common  humanity,  whose  stay  on  earth  was  an 
unbroken  benefaction,  and  whose  going  for  many  of  us  has  made 
heaven  nearer  and  dearer.  If  he  could  speak  to  us  now  I  believe 
his  word  would  be,  'Say  not  good  night,  but  in  some  brighter 
clime,  bid  me  good  morning. '  ' 

THE  CONGRESSIONAL  RECORD  OF  MONDAY,  JUNE  22,  HAS  THE 
FOLLOWING  REGARDING  MR.  STEVENSON 

Mr.  Rainey — Mr.  Speaker,  I  ask  unanimous  consent  to  ad- 
dress the  House  for  five  minutes  on  the  subject  of  the  late  Adlai 
E.  Stevenson. 

The  Speaker — The  gentleman  from  Illinois  asks  unanimous 
consent  to  address  the  House  for  five  minutes  on  the  life  and 
character  of  the  late  vice  president,  Adlai  E.  Stevenson.  Is  there 
objection? 

There  was  no  objection. 

Mr.  Rainey — Mr.  Speaker  and  gentlemen  of  the  House,  sev- 
enty-nine years  ago  Adlai  E.  Stevenson  was  born  in  the  State  of 
Kentucky.  At  an  early  age  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Illinois, 
but  returned  soon  after  to  Kentucky,  and  in  1856  he  graduated 
at  Centre  College,  in  Danville,  Ky.  During  his  college  career 
there  developed  the  romance  which  lasted  through  his  long  life 
and  just  after  his  graduation  he  married  Miss  Letitia  Green,  the 
daughter  of  the  president  of  the  college  which  conferred  his  de- 
gree upon  him.  She  remained  his  faithful  companion  in  all  the 
vicissitudes  of  his  long  life  until  a  few  months  ago,  when  she 
preceded  him  to  the  tomb. 

In  the  early  part  of  his  career  Adlai  E.  Stevenson  was  con- 
temporaneous with  Lincoln,  Douglas,  Logan,  McClernand,  Og- 
lesby,  and  those  other  great  sons  of  Illinois  who  long  ago  pre- 
ceded him  to  the  silent  tomb.  His  active  career  in  national  poli- 
tics commenced  before  most  of  the  Members  of  the  House  were 


ADLAI  EWINQ  STEVENSON  $$ 

born.  In  1864  he  was  a  presidential  elector  on  the  Democratic 
ticket.  In  1874  he  was  elected  from  the  Bloomington  (111.)  dis- 
trict to  the  office  of  Representative  in  Congress.  Two  years  later, 
in  1876,  he  was  re-elected.  In  1884  he  led  the  Illinois  delegation 
to  the  Democratic  national  convention,  the  convention  which 
named  Grover  Cleveland.  From  1885  until  1889  he  was  first 
assistant  postmaster  general.  From  1893  until  1897  he  was  vice 
president  of  the  United  States.  His  active  career  continued  al- 
most until  the  day  of  his  death.  Five  years  ago  he  was  the  Demo- 
cratic candidate  in  Illinois  for  governor  of  Illinois  when  long 
past  the  allotted  age  of  three  score  and  ten.  He  commenced  to 
practice  law  in  the  late  fifties  in  Metamora,  111.,  and  after  that  he 
practiced  law  in  Bloomington,  111.,  and  his  firm,  the  firm  of 
Stevenson  &  Ewing,  was  for  a  long  period  of  years  one  of  the 
best-known  law  firms  in  the  state  of  Illinois.  He  was  successful 
in  his  business  career,  and  long  ago,  years  ago,  when  labor  first 
commenced  to  organize  and  was  demanding  recognition,  he  rec- 
ognized the  right  of  laboring  men  to  organize  in  the  great  coal 
industries,  in  which  he  was  an  important  factor  in  that  section 
of  Illinois. 

While  he  was  active  in  political  life,  ready  always  to  give  his 
services  to  his  country,  when  his  country  demanded  his  services, 
he  was  a  successful  business  man,  honest  and  fair  in  all  his  rela- 
tions with  his  fellow  men.  While  he  was  a  contemporary  with 
those  great  Illinoisans  I  have  mentioned,  who  long  ago  preceded 
him  to  the  tomb,  he  was  always  young.  Those  of  us  who  knew 
him  best  never  thought  of  him  as  growing  old.  As  his  old  friends 
died  he  renewed  his  activities  and  acquaintances  among  the 
young,  and  he  retained  his  full  physical  and  mental  vigor  up 
until  the  very  last.  Last  Saturday  the  Illinois  delegation — all  of 
them  signed  the  telegram — sent  a  telegram  to  him  at  the  hospital 
in  Chicago  where  for  some  months  he  had  been  ill,  expressing 
our  hope  for  his  speedy  recovery  and  expressing  our  sympathy 
for  him  on  account  of  his  serious  illness.  His  son  wired  back 
that  the  message  had  been  read  to  him  and  that  he  appreciated 
the  fact  that  he  was  remembered  here  in  the  National  House  of 
Representatives,  where  he  had  served  for  four  years ;  here  in  the 
capitol,  where  he  served  for  eight  years  as  assistant  postmaster 
general  and  as  vice  president  of  the  United  States.  A  few  hours 
later  his  great  heart  ceased  to  beat.  He  died  yesterday  morn- 
ing, Sunday,  June  14,  1914. 

Throughout  his  long  and  useful  career  no  suspicion  of  dis- 
honor or  dishonesty  ever  attached  to  his  name.  On  behalf  of  the 
Illinois  delegation  in  congress  I  desire  to  pay  this  last  tribute  of 
respect  to  his  memory.  His  life  work  is  over ;  full  of  years  and 
of  honor,  with  unfaltering  step  he  approached  the  end.  In  the 
state  which  produced  a  Lincoln,  a  Douglas,  a  Logan,  and  an  Alt- 


56  ADLAI  EWINQ  STEVENSON 

geld,  we  consider  him  one  of  our  greatest  citizens.  His  soul  has 
gone  back  beyond  the  stars  to  God,  who  gave  it.  Tomorrow  his 
body  will  be  buried  by  the  friends  of  his  long  career.  Great 
mind,  generous  soul,  kind  friend,  adieu.  May  the  earth  press 
lightly  upon  the  heart  of  Adlai  E.  Stevenson  of  Illinois. 

DEATH  OF  FORMER  VICE-PRESIDENT 

Resolution  of  the  U.  S.  Senate. 

Immediately  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Stevenson  was  announced 
in  the  Senate,  Senator  James  Hamilton  Lewis  submitted  the  fol- 
lowing resolution,  which  is  copied  from  the  Journal  of  the 
Senate : 

"Resolved,  That  the  Senate  has  heard  with  profound  regret 
of  the  death  of  Hon.  Adlai  E.  Stevenson,  former  Vice  President 
of  the  United  States  and  former  Presiding  Officer  of  the  United 
States  Senate. 

Resolved,  That  as  a  mark  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  the  dis- 
tinguished official,  whose  life  has  been  filled  with  honorable  and 
distinguished  service  to  his  Nation,  the  Senate  do  now  adjourn. 

The  Senate  proceeded,  by  unanimous  consent,  to  consider  the 
resolutions;  and 

The  resolutions  were  unanimously  agreed  to; 

Whereupon, 

The  Senate  adjourned." 

REV.  DR.  J.  W.  DINSMORE  OF  SAN  JOSE,  CALIF.,  FOR  MANY 
YEARS  PASTOR  OF  THE  SECOND  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 
OF  BLOOMINGTON,  OF  WHICH  FORMER  VICE-PRESIDENT 
STEVENSON  WAS  A  MEMBER,  IS  QUOTED  AS  FOLLOWS  IN 
THE  SAN  JOSE  MERCURY: 

The  death  in  the  Presbyterian  hospital,  Chicago,  on  Sunday 
last  of  the  Hon.  Adlai  E.  Stevenson,  marks  the  close  of  the 
earthly  life  of  a  man  who  will  be  sincerely  mourned  by  great 
numbers  of  people  all  over  the  land.  Many  of  your  readers  have 
known  him  as  a  public  official,  and  a  considerable  number  have 
known  him  as  an  acquaintance  and  friend.  Many  will  recall  his 
visit  to  San  Jose  while  he  was  vice-president  of  the  United  States. 
This  little  tribute  to  his  memory,  therefore,  may  not  be  out  of 
place  in  your  columns.  It  is  written  by  one  who  knew  him  long 
and  well.  For  more  than  twenty  years  he  was  my  parishioner, 
and  for  more  than  forty  years  he  was  my  close  and  cherished 
friend.  I  had  many  reasons  for  being  strongly  attached  to  him 
and  his  family,  and  this  attachment  was  not  in  the  least  dimin- 
ished by  the  wide  separation  of  our  homes  during  these  recent 
years.  Our  frequent  meetings  and  our  steady  correspondence 
kept  our  friendship  alive  and  warm. 


ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON  57 

Mr.  Stevenson  was  by  descent  a  North.  Carolinian,  by  birth  a 
Kentuckian,  and  of  that  sturdy  Scotch-Irish  race  which  has  cut  so 
deep  into  our  history.  When  a  youth  he  removed  with  his  fa- 
ther's family  to  Bloomington,  111.,  and  there  lived  the  rest  of  his 
days.  He  was  a  man  of  high  character,  of  strict  morals  and  of 
unquestioned  repute  as  a  gentleman  and  a  Christian.  He  bore 
through  life  and  carried  to  his  grave  an  unsullied  name.  He 
was  much  in  public  life,  always  an  active  and  strenuous  politician 
in  the  good  sense  of  that  term,  and  consequently  often  engaged 
in  fierce  political  contests,  and  yet  his  bitterest  adversaries  never 
had  the  effrontery  to  accuse  him  of  meanness,  crookedness  or  per- 
fidy. In  his  early  manhood  he  was  happily  wedded  to  a  scion 
of  one  of  the  most  noted  families  of  Kentucky,  with  large  and  in- 
fluential connections,  and  herself  a  woman  of  high  spirit  not  only, 
but  of  singular  charm  and  loveliness.  She  was  a  great  inspira- 
tion and  help  to  him  until  her  death  a  few  months  ago.  As  he 
was  himself  in  broken  health,  he  never  rallied  from  the  shock 
and  sorrow  of  that  separation.  During  recent  months  he  has 
been  a  great  sufferer  and  I  am  assured  that  he  bore  his  sufferings 
with  great  fortitude  and  patience. 

Mr.  Stevenson  was  what  is  called  an  uncommonly  popular 
man,  personally  and  socially.  He  had  many  political  adversa- 
ries, but  probably  very  few  personal  enemies.  He  was  an  out- 
and-out  democrat,  and  lived  in  a  congressional  district  which 
was  overwhelmingly  republican,  and  yet  twice  at  least  he  was 
elected  to  congress  by  stiff  majorities.  Thousands  of  republicans 
voted  for  him  on  personal  grounds.  When  he  was  candidate  for 
vice-president  on  the  ticket  with  Cleveland  in  1892,  Illinois  for 
the  only  time  in  forty-eight  years,  went  democratic,  and  it  was 
attributed  chiefly  to  the  popularity  of  Stevenson. 

His  courtesy  and  suavity  were  such  that,  in  denying  an  ap- 
plicant, while  he  disappointed  him,  he  seldom  offended  him.  I 
recall  sitting  one  day  for  several  hours  in  his  private  office  in 
Washington  and  being  greatly  interested  and  amused  by  the 
singular  tact  he  showed  in  dealing  with  heated  contestants  for 
postoffices.  He  could  give  the  place  to  but  one,  and  yet  he  man- 
aged it  so  deftly  that  those  whom  he  turned  down  seemed  to 
leave  in  comparative  good  humor,  feeling  sorry  that  he  felt  so 
sorry  in  being  obliged  to  disappoint  them. 

He  was  a  remarkably  genial,  companionable,  obliging  and 
affectionate  man,  devoted  to  his  family  and  never  going  back  on 
his  friends.  In  the  retirement  and  sorrows  of  the  last  few  years 
he  has  been  the  center  of  deep  and  warm  sympathy  and  affection 
on  the  part  of  many  thousands,  not  merely  of  his  own  commun- 
ity, but  all  over  this  broad  land.  For  myself  I  feel  painfully 
bereft  by  his  going  away,  and  shall  remember  him  while  I  live 
with  strong  affection  as  a  true,  high-minded  and  honorable  man, 
and  as  a  devoted  and  steadfast  friend. 


58  ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON 


A  MEMORIAL  FOR  HON.  ADLAI  E.  STEVENSON  WAS  HELD  BY 
MEMBERS  OF  THE  McLEAN  COUNTY  BAR  ASSOCIATION  ON 
THE  MORNING  OF  JUNE  28  IN  THE  COURT  HOUSE  AT 
BLOOMINGTON 

There  was  a  fine  representation  of  the  organization  present, 
besides  many  other  friends  and  admirers  of  the  departed  illus- 
trious statesman  and  fellow  townsman. 

Hon.  C.  D.  Myers,  judge  of  the  circuit  court,  presided  at 
the  meeting  and  in  the  outset  a  report  was  read  from  the  com- 
mittee on  resolutions  by  Governor  Joseph  W.  Fifer,  which  was 
followed  by  very  touching  tributes  from  John  T.  Lillard,  Charles 
L.  Capen,  John  A.  Sterling,  A.  E.  DeMange,  Thomas  Kerrick, 
Hal  M.  Stone,  Judge  R.  M.  Benjamin,  Frank  Gillespie,  and 
Judge  C.  D.  Myers. 

The  following  was  the  report  of  the  committee  on  testimonial 
and  resolutions  as  presented  by  Gov.  Fifer: 

THE  RESOLUTION 

Adlai  Ewing  Stevenson  was  born  in  Christian  county,  Ken- 
tucky, October  23rd,  1835,  and  died  at  the  Presbyterian  Hospital 
in  Chicago,  June  14th,  1914.  Of  revolutionary  stock,  his  ances- 
tors were  prominent  in  the  war  for  American  independence.  He 
was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  belonged  to  a  race  distinguished 
for  learning,  patriotism  and  high  courage. 

When  a  mere  lad  he  moved  with  his  father's  family  to  Bloom- 
ington,  Illinois,  which  city  down  to  the  day  of  his  death,  he  was 
always  proud  to  call  his  home,  with  the  exception  of  ten  years, 
when  he  resided  at  Metamora,  Illinois.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools,  at  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  University,  and  finally  at 
Center  College,  at  Danville,  in  his  native  state.  While  attend- 
ing the  latter  institution  he  was  unexpectedly  called  home  by 
the  sudden  illness  of  his  honored  father,  who  died  soon  there- 
after and  much  to  his  regret,  he  never  found  it  possible  to  com- 
plete the  college  course  he  had  set  for  himself.  By  the  parting 
injunction  of  a  dying  father  he  was  left  the  care  of  a  widowed 
mother  and  six  children.  How  well  he  discharged  his  duty  in 
this  behalf  it  is  not  necessary  for  us  to  speak,  for  it  is  known 
and  appreciated  by  this  entire  community. 

He  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  McLean  county  bar 
in  1858,  and  soon  thereafter  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his 
profession  at  Metamora,  then  the  seat  of  government  of  Wood- 
ford  county. 

He  was  not  long  in  winning  a  place  in  the  front  ranks  of  a 
bar  distinguished  for  the  number  of  its  able  men.  It  was  here 
that  he  met  Judge  Eichmond,  Judge  Barns,  Judge  Read  and 


ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON  59 

many  others  of  equal  ability.  It  was  here  too,  that  he  met  Col. 
Robert  G.  Ingersoll,  the  greatest  wit  and  orator  of  his  time,  and 
a  friendship  was  formed  between  them  which  ended  only  in  the 
latter 's  death. 

Mr.  Stevenson's  scholarly  attainments,  his  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  law  and  above  all  his  kindness  of  heart  and  genial 
social  disposition,  brought  him  both  business  and  friends.  He 
was  soon  recognized  as  the  most  popular  young  man  in  that  sec- 
tion of  the  state  and  public  office  came  to  him  apparently  with- 
out effort.  He  was  appointed  Master  in  Chancery  and  later  was 
elected  State 's  Attorney  of  his  Judicial  District  and  the  able  and 
faithful  manner  in  which  he  discharged  the  duties  of  these  im- 
portant positions  was  the  subject  of  private  and  public  comment 
long  after  he  left  the  county. 

His  increasing  knowledge  of  the  law,  his  growing  business, 
and  above  all  his  expanding  intellect  caused  him  to  seek  a  wider 
field  for  the  exercise  of  his  genius  and  in  1868  he  returned  to 
Bloomington  and  formed  a  law  partnership  with  the  Hon.  James 
S.  Ewing,  his  cousin.  He  then  began  a  legal  and  political  career 
unequalled  by  that  of  any  other  citizen  of  our  county. 

Deeply  versed  in  the  best  English  literature,  and  a  profound 
student  of  the  law,  he  soon  became  recognized  as  one  of  the  ablest 
lawyers  of  the  state.  As  a  lawyer  he  was  profound  rather  than 
technical.  He  cared  nothing  for  mere  forms,  but  everything  for 
substance.  As  an  advocate  he  had  but  few  equals  and  no  su- 
periors at  the  bar  and  there  are  adversaries  now  living  who  can 
remember  the  dread  and  anxiety  experienced  by  them  as  he 
arose  to  deliver  his  closing  address  to  the  jury  in  some  hotly  con- 
tested case.  The  firm  of  Stevenson  &  Ewing  practiced  law  as- 
siduously for  more  than  twenty  years.  The  records  of  this  court 
and  the  high  courts  of  review  are  the  silent  but  eloquent  wit- 
nesses to  the  success  of  this  firm. 

Our  friend  was  not  only  a  successful  lawyer,  but  he  under- 
stood and  appreciated  the  importance  and  dignity  of  the  profes- 
sion of  which  he  was  so  great  an  ornament,  and  he  looked  to  the 
law  as  the  means  by  which  our  free  institutions  are  to  be  per- 
petuated and  the  rights  and  liberties  of  the  individual  citizen 
protected. 

In  a  public  utterance  he  said:  "It  is  all  important,  never 
mere  so  than  now,  that  the  people  should  magnify  the  law.  Out- 
rages have  been  perpetrated  in  the  name  of  justice  appalling  to 
all  thoughtful  men.  It  need  hardly  be  said  that  all  this  is  in 
total  disregard  of  individual  rights  and  utterly  subversive  of 
lawful  authority.  By  the  solemn  adjudication  of  courts  and 
under  the  safeguards  of  law,  the  fact  of  guilt  is  to  be  established 
and  the  guilty  punished.  The  sure  rock  of  defense  in  the  out- 
stretched years  as  in  the  long  past  will  be  the  intelligence,  the 


60  ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON 

patriotism,  the  virtue  of  a  law-abiding,  liberty-loving  people.  To 
a  degree  that  cannot  be  measured  by  words,  the  temple  of  justice 
will  prove  a  city  of  refuge.  "The  judiciary  has  no  guards,  no 
palaces,  or  treasuries,  no  arms  but  truth  and  wisdom  and  no 
splendor  but  justice." 

This  splendid  sentiment  expressed  in  the  above  quotation  is 
worthy  to  be  inscribed  as  an  epitaph  upon  his  monument  and  by 
its  utterance  he  has  made  posterity  his  debtor. 

Well  as  Mr.  Stevenson's  abilities  and  standing  as  a  lawyer 
were  recognized  throughout  our  great  state  by  the  bench  and  bar, 
it  was  as  a  statesman  that  he  rendered  his  greatest  public  serv- 
ice and  as  a  statesman  he  was  most  widely  known  and  will  be 
most  lovingly  and  gratefully  remembered  by  millions  of  his  fel- 
low countrymen. 

To  one  possessed  of  such  rare  gifts  and  in  a  country  like  ours, 
a  political  career  was  inevitable.  Mr.  Stevenson's  first  political 
success  came  in  1874,  when  he  was  triumphantly  elected  to  the 
44th  Congress  from  a  district  wherein  the  opposing  party  had  an 
overwhelming  majority.  He  was  in  1878  elected  a  member  of 
the  46th  Congress,  overcoming  as  he  did  before,  a  very  decided 
party  majority  against  him. 

When  Mr.  Cleveland  came  to  the  presidency  in  1885,  so  prom- 
inent was  Mr.  Stevenson  in  the  counsels  of  his  party  by  reason  of 
his  able  and  efficient  service  in  the  congress  of  the  United  States 
and  his  commanding  abilities  as  a  statesman,  that  he  was  prac- 
tically without  opposition  selected  as  assistant  postmaster  gen- 
eral, the  duties  of  which  position  he  discharged  with  fidelity  and 
ability  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  party  and  the  country.  His 
ever  widening  influence  and  increasing  popularity  made  him  in 
1892  his  party's  candidate  for  vice  president  of  the  United 
States  and  the  success  of  his  party  in  that  memorable  campaign 
especially  in  his  own  state,  is  by  competent  judges  largely 
ascribed  to  the  fact  that  his  name  appeared  upon  the  ticket. 

He  was  easily  one  of  the  most  popular  as  he  was  one  of  the 
ablest  presiding  officers  the  senate  of  the  United  States  ever  had, 
and  his  ability  and  his  absolute  fairness  while  exercising  the  pow- 
ers of  that  great  office  are  still  the  subject  of  comment  by  public 
men  at  the  capitol  of  the  nation. 

A  few  months  after  Mr.  Stevenson's  retirement  from  the  sen- 
ate he  was  appointed  by  President  McKinley  a  member  of  a  com- 
mission to  visit  England,  France,  and  Germany  in  the  interest  of 
bi-metalism. 

So  wide  and  varied  is  the  public  career  of  our  friend  that 
we  find  it  impossible  in  this  place  to  do  justice  to  all  his  important 
public  acts.  One,  however,  we  feel  should  not  be  passed  over 
without  emphasis  as  it  marks  him  as  a  statesman  and  patriot  of 
the  first  magnitude. 


ADLAI  EWINQ  STEVENSON  6 1 

All  will  remember  the  dispute  that  arose  over  the  result  oi 
the  presidential  election  in  1876.  Inflammatory  speeches  were 
made,  much  ill  will  arose  and  the  clouds  of  civil  war  once  more 
hung  dark  and  heavy  in  our  political  horizon.  The  cooler  heads 
of  both  parties  in  congress  proposed  the  passage  of  a  bill  creating 
an  electoral  commission  to  decide  by  the  peaceful  means  of  arbi- 
tration the  rights  of  the  respective  claimants  for  the  high  office 
of  president.  Mr.  Stevenson,  to  this  measure,  gave  his  powerful 
and  enthusiastic  support.  He  not  only  advocated  the  passage  of 
the  measure  in  a  powerful  speech  delivered  in  congress,  but  he 
also  advocated  the  acceptance  of  the  decision  of  the  Commission 
after  the  result  had  been  declared.  On  this  latter  phase  of  the 
question  he  said : 

"Let  this  vote  be  now  taken  and  the  curtain  fall  upon  these 
scenes  forever.  To  those  who  believe  as  I  do  that  a  grievous 
wrong  has  been  suffered,  let  me  entreat  that  this  arbitrament  be 
abided  in  good  faith,  that  no  hindrance  or  delay  be  interposed  to 
the  execution  of  the  law,  but  by  faithful  adherence  to  its  man- 
dates, by  honest  efforts  to  revive  the  prostrate  industries  of  the 
country,  by  obedience  to  the  constituted  authorities,  we  will  show 
ourselves  patriots  rather  than  partisans  in  this  hour  of  our  coun- 
try's misfortune." 

These  are  brave,  patriotic  words,  spoken  by  one  deeply  in 
sympathy  with  the  happiness  and  welfare  of  his  country. 

In  1866  Mr.  Stevenson  was  married  to  Miss  Letitia  Green,  a 
lady  of  culture  and  refinement,  whose  family  was  distinguished 
for  high  intellectual  attainments  and  great  moral  worth.  To 
this  union  four  children  were  born,  three  of  whom  survive,  and 
have  become  worthy  members  of  the  community  in  which  they 
live. 

Such  in  simple  words  and  in  brief  outline  is  the  life,  the 
character  and  public  services  of  our  friend  whose  death  comes 
to  us  all  as  a  personal  sorrow  and  for  whom  we  profoundly 
grieve. 

Mr.  Stevenson  lived  in  the  most  interesting  and  important 
epoch  in  our  national  history.  No  one  enjoyed  a  wider  acquaint- 
ance with  public  men.  He  knew  Lincoln  and  Douglas,  and  in 
fact  nearly  all  of  those  of  our  times  whose  names  are  associated 
with  the  history  of  our  country.  Possessing  rare  literary  ability 
he  has  preserved  in  his  unique  and  interesting  book,  entitled 
"Something  of  Men  I  Have  Known,"  his  recollection  of  those 
who  were  active  in  public  affairs  during  the  stormiest  period  of 
our  country's  history  and  as  the  men  of  whom  he  speaks  pass 
from  the  stage  of  action  his  book  will  be  read  by  the  youth  of 
the  country  with  ever  increasing  interest  and  profit. 

Were  we  to  give  a  reason  for  Mr.  Stevenson's  phenomenal 
success  we  should  do  so  in  this  single  sentence:  He  was  a  man 


62  ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON 

of  a  kind  heart.  Armed  to  an  unusual  degree  with  the  weapons 
of  wit  and  sarcasm  he  seldom  or  never  used  them  to  the  discom- 
fiture of  others. 

He  was  never  elected  to  a  public  office  that  he  did  not  over- 
come by  his  popularity  a  majority  party.  He  never  defeated  an 
adversary  who  was  not  afterwards  his  warm  personal  friend.  He 
never  held  an  office  that  he  did  not  adorn  and  add  dignity  to  the 
position  by  his  ability  and  his  courteous  and  obliging  disposition 
and  manners.  His  friends  and  neighbors,  those  who  knew  him 
intimately,  can  never  forget  his  unfailing  kindness  and  consid- 
eration for  all  who  came  within  the  sunshine  of  his  presence  and 
his  interest  in  all  that  made  for  their  welfare ;  nor  can  they  ever 
forget  his  quick  sympathy  in  times  of  trouble. 

So  closely  was  his  life  united  with  that  of  his  beloved  wife 
that  when  she  passed  to  her  eternal  rest  his  brave  spirit  was  not 
able  to  bear  life's  burdens  alone  .  For  nearly  fifty  years  she  had 
stood  devotedly  by  his  side.  Together  they  created  an  ideal  home 
from  which  radiated  an  influence  for  good  that  can  never  be 
measured.  They  had  rejoiced  together  in  times  of  victory  and 
they  had  borne  with  fortitude  the  disappointments  of  life  which 
sooner  or  later  come  to  us  all. 

He  died  as  he  had  lived,  a  Christian  gentleman  in  the  un- 
shaken belief  in  a  better  life  beyond  the  grave. 

For  a  long  half  century  Mr.  Stevenson  stood  in  the  focus  of 
public  attention.  The  fierce  light  of  public  criticism  beat  against 
his  armor  and  found  no  flaw.  No  stain  ever  touched  his  gar- 
ments, and  not  even  the  breath  of  suspicion  ever  rested  upon  his 
good  name.  Full  of  years  and  full  of  honors,  with  friends  and 
loved  ones  about  him,  he  lay  down  weary  and  broken  beneath  a 
monument  of  public  gratitude  and  affection  greater  and  more 
enduring  than  any  of  masonry  or  bronze. 

We  know  that  monuments  made  by  human  hands  must  soon 
decay  and  fall.  We  know  too  that  the  friends  who  knew  and 
loved  him  in  life  must  soon  pass  away  and  that  through  the  on 
stretching  centuries  of  the  great  future  the  memory  of  his  name 
must  perish  from  the  earth,  but  the  influence  of  his  useful,  ex- 
alted and  unselfish  life  can  never  die.  His  course  shall  be  on- 
ward and  upward  forever  and  this,  let  us  believe,  is  the  immor- 
tality that  awaits  all  who  love  and  serve  their  fellow  men. 

JOSEPH  W.  FIFEB, 
JAMES  E.  EWING, 
THOMAS  C.  KERRICK, 
JOHN  T.  LILLARD, 
CHARLES  L.  CAPEN, 

Committee  of  the  McLean  County  Bar  Association 
on  Testimonial  and  Resolutions. 


ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON  63 


ATTEE  THE  BEADING  OF  THE  RESOLUTIONS  THE  HON.  THOMAS 
0.  KERRICK  SPOKE  AS  FOLLOWS: 

The  memorial  prepared  and  presented  by  Governor  Fifer  and 
which  will  become  an  enduring  record  of  this  court,  is  in  no 
respect  or  degree  an  exaggerated  eulogy  of  its  subject. 

Those  of  us  who  knew  Mr.  Stevenson  familiarly  for  more  than 
the  average  length  of  human  life  willingly  testify  that  the  merits 
of  the  man  are  in  no  wise  overstated  in  that  truthful  epitome  of 
his  life  and  character. 

It  is  needless  for  me  to  enlarge  upon  what  is  embodied  in  the 
memorial  and  what  has  been  said  by  other  speakers  regarding 
Mr.  Stevenson's  illustrious  public  career  in  its  national  aspects. 
The  knowledge  of  that  is  more  than  nation  wide  and  its  honors 
are  fadeless. 

I  choose  rather  to  speak  of  him,  briefly,  in  his  nearer  relations 
to  us  in  a  lesser  and  more  localized  sphere.  Mr.  Stevenson's 
pleasing  and  forceful  personality  was  such  that  even  in  a  period 
in  which  political  party  lines  were  commonly  regarded  as  well 
nigh  impassable  walls  he  turned  seemingly  well-organized  major- 
ities in  his  Congressional  district  into  disorganized  and  defeated 
minorities. 

But  brilliant  and  successful  as  he  was  his  public  life  in  that 
and  in  the  larger  national  field  I  doubt  not  that  next  to  his  own 
kindred,  those  who  admired  and  loved  him  most  and  most  deeply 
mourn  his  loss  are  his  neighbors,  his  townspeople,  and  the  host 
of  long-time  intimate  personal  acquaintances  and  friends  of  his 
every-day  life,  conspicuous  among  whom  are  the  surviving  mem- 
bers of  this  bar  who  for  many  years  met  and  associated  with  him 
while  he  was  actively  practicing  law  in  this  court. 

Practicing  law  as  did  Mr.  Stevenson  and  also  many  others  of 
this  bar  during  the  years  of  Mr.  Stevenson's  greatest  activities 
as  a  lawyer,  is  an  exceedingly  arduous  and  wearing  and,  at  times, 
almost  exasperating  occupation. 

Sometimes  in  the  heat  and  excitement  of  forensic  warfare 
the  combatants  become  worked  up  to  an  almost  dangerously  high 
pitch  of  feeling. 

Mr.  Stevenson  was  not,  nor  is  any  high-class  trial  lawyer,  al- 
ways exempt  from  exhibiting  considerable  belligerency  of  man- 
ner and  speech  towards  opposing  counsel,  or  occasionally  express- 
ing a  not  very  exalted  opinion  of  their  knowledge  of  the  law  and 
memory  of  the  facts  in  the  case  on  trial,  but  I  never  knew  him  to 
impugn  the  motives  or  question  the  honesty  of  an  adversary  or 
to  say  or  do  anything  even  under  great  provocation  that  would 
create  in  his  opponent  a  lasting  feeling  of  resentment  or  ill-will. 

I  recall  a  spontaneous  gathering  at  Mr.  Stevenson's  home, 
twenty-nine  years  ago,  on  the  eve  of  his  departure  for  Washing- 


64  ADLAI  EWIKG  STEVENSON 

ton  to  assume  the  duties  of  Assistant  Post  Master  General  under 
the  first  administration  of  President  Cleveland,  at  which  gather- 
ing practically  all  the  members  of  the  McLean  County  bar  were 
present. 

At  that  time  nine-tenths  or  more  of  the  members  of  this  bar 
were  ardent  and  militant  republicans,  yet  notwithstanding  the 
then  recent  national  defeat  of  their  party ;  notwithstanding  the 
many  political  bufferings  and  bruises  they  had  received  at  the 
hands  of  Mr.  Stevenson  in  his  triumphal  campaigns  for  con- 
gressional honors,  and  the  chastisements  he  had  at  times  adminis- 
tered to  many  of  them  in  the  forum,  every  laudatory  remark  of 
the  speaker  who  presented  to  Mr.  Stevenson  the  gift  of  the  bar 
in  token  of  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  its  members, 
was  cheered  quite  as  lustily  and  heartily  by  every  republican  as 
by  any  democrat.  And  I  well  remember,  too,  that  while  respond- 
ing Mr.  Stevenson's  eyes  were  overflowing  with  tears  and  that 
his  emotion  was  such  that  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that 
he  could  control  his  voice  sufficiently  to  express  his  heartfelt 
thanks  and  appreciation. 

Between  Mr.  Stevenson  and  his  brother-members  of  the  Mc- 
Lean County  bar  the  ties  of  friendship  and  high  fraternal  re- 
gard were  never  broken — nay,  not  even  strained. 

Distinguished  and  highly  honored  as  he  was  in  the  years  of 
his  greatest  activity  I  think  that  Mr.  Stevenson  was  never  more 
admirable,  never  more  lovable,  than  in  the  evening  of  his  life,  in 
the  years  of  his  semi-retirement  but  not  of  suspended  usefulness. 
Years,  it  is  true,  which  brought  to  him  the  inevitable  diminution 
of  physical  vigor  and  much,  very  much,  of  sad  bereavement  and 
most  poignant  grief,  but  years  which,  withal,  seemed  to  bring  out 
in  even  bolder  relief  his  greatness  of  soul,  his  illimitable  kindness 
of  heart  and  the  undimmed  luster  of  his  splendid  intellect. 

Often,  no  doubt,  the  obsequies  of  the  distinguished  dead  have 
been  attended  with  pomp  and  circumstance  that  were  absent  from 
his,  but  few,  indeed,  have  been  so  sincerely  loved  in  life  and 
mourned  in  death  as  was  he,  by  the  multitudes  who  passed  in 
reverent  silence  beside  his  bier. 

In  his  life  his  brethren  of  this  bar  one  and  all  admired  and 
loved  him.  In  his  death  we  shall  not  cease  to  honor  and  revere 
his  memory. 

REMARKS  OF  JOHN  T.  LILLARD  BEFORE  THE  McLEAN  COUNTY 
CIRCUIT  COURT,  CONVENED  IN  MEMORY  OF  ADLAI  E.  STEV- 
ENSON 

I  cannot  permit  this  occasion  to  pass  without  making  my  con- 
tribution. Mr.  Stevenson  was  for  forty  years  my  beloved  friend. 


ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON  65 

In  August,  1873,  I  was,  as  a  youth,  the  favored  bearer  of  a 
letter  of  introduction  to  Adlai  E.  Stevenson.  The  man  I  thus 
met  was  then  thirty-eight  years  of  age,  blond,  clear-eyed,  tall, 
erect,  well  groomed.  How  vivid  to  me  now  is  the  picture. 

Mrs.  Stevenson,  then  in  the  very  bloom  of  young  womanhood, 
endowed  with  a  wealth  of  physical,  mental  and  heart  charm,  was 
a  royal  consort  to  her  knightly  husband. 

These  words  of  praise  might  seem  superlative  to  strangers. 
To  us  they  express  the  simple  truth. 

I  never  knew  Mr.  Stevenson's  father.  I  knew  his  mother 
well.  Her  son  was  much  like  her.  It  is  not  surprising  that  such 
a  mother  might  have  such  a  son.  We  can  in  part  conjecture  the 
prayers  for  his  future  which  this  God-loving  and  son-loving 
mother  mingled  with  her  cradle  songs  and  ministrations  over  her 
fair-haired  boy.  Her  prayers  were  richly  answered. 

His  success  as  a  lawyer  which  was  earnestly  wished  for  as  he 
entered  upon  that  profession,  came  promptly  and  with  unusual 
reward. 

She  must  have  asked  for  her  son  bodily  and  mental  health. 
For  nearly  four  score  years  the  people  of  this  community  wit- 
nessed in  this  citizen  the  highest  type  of  a  sound  mind  in  a  sound 
body. 

If  his  mother  yearned  for  her  son  to  hold  as  she  believed  in 
the  tenets  of  her  religion,  in  this  again  her  hopes  were  fulfilled. 
Layman,  as  he  was,  without  preachment  or  display,  he  was  al- 
ways the  defender  of  the  Faith. 

If  she  prayed  for  him  to  be  honored,  loved  and  trusted  by 
his  home  people  and  community,  these  hopes  were  modest,  even 
as  she  was  modest,  for  he  became  trusted,  honored  and  loved, 
by  his  State  and  by  the  nation,  as  he  was  at  his  home  town. 

If  she  cherished  ambition  for  him  to  acquire  position,  polit- 
ical honors,  leadership  of  men,  the  realization  was  far  beyond 
reasonable  anticipation.  He,  in  addition  to  many  other  public 
offices,  occupied  with  dignity  and  honor  to  himself  and  his 
country,  the  high  executive  office  held  by  Jefferson,  John 
Adams,  John  C.  Calhoun,  John  C.  Breckenridge — the  highest 
office  but  one  ever  held  in  a  republic. 

The  Bar  of  McLean  County  is  deeply  gratified  that  such  a 
man  was  for  more  than  half  a  century  one  of  us,  and  at  all 
times,  even  in  the  moments  of  his  highest  exaltation,  he  was  as 
unobtrusive  as  the  youngest  and  humblest  member  of  this  bar. 
From  the  time  he  enrolled  Mr.  Stevenson  was  always  a  mem- 
ber of  this  bar.  We,  as  a  body  and  as  individual  lawyers,  are 
all  and  each  sharers  in  his  varied  achievements,  and  they  were 
many — for  his  professional,  forensic  and  social  honors  fully 
equalled  his  brilliant  political  successes. 

If  kindliness  of  heart  and  love  of  fellow  man  was  invoked 


66  ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON 

upon  the  head  of  this  man  when  his  young  life  began,  we  all 
know  how  abundantly  that  invocation  was  answered.  It  was 
not  in  him  to  merely  stop,  listen  and  answer  appeals.  His  walk 
was  not  confined  to  the  highways  of  life.  In  by-ways  and  un- 
frequented paths  he  made  frequent  excursions  and  there  min- 
istered to  hungry  mouths  and  hungry  hearts.  He  was,  instinc- 
tively, no  respecter  of  persons,  clan  or  station.  His  big  heart 
reached  out  to  his  fellows  everywhere.  The  Good  Samaritan 
was  his  unconscious  prototype.  He  contributed  to  the  binding 
up  of  wounds,  whether  of  friend  or  foe  or  stranger. 

Kindliness  was  the  musical  key  note  to  Mr.  Stevenson's  en- 
tire life  and  accomplishments.  Of  the  political  rewards,  high 
official  positions,  public  and  private  honors  which  he  received 
we  are  justly  proud.  Gentleness  of  character  and  delicacy  of 
kindliness  in  private  life  and  everywhere  the  lavish  gift  of  na- 
ture was  the  quality  which  adorned  and  distinguished  Mr. 
Stevenson  throughout  his  life,  even  more  than  his  high  honors 
and  official  positions  could  possibly  distinguish  him.  Many 
have  shared  with  him  in  political  honors.  Few  indeed  are  those 
enriched  by  nature  with  the  personal  magnetism,  loveliness  of 
character,  social  charm  and  helpfulness  to  fellow  men,  as  was 
Adlai  E.  Stevenson.  It  seems  to  me  as  if  the  divine  modeler 
of  human  clay,  when  he  fashioned  this  friend  of  ours  and  se- 
lected his  quality  and  attributes,  was  minded  to  give  to  the 
world  a  rare  man,  stamped  by  the  Master  Artist  with  distinctive 
marks. 

He  sleeps  secure  to  fame.  The  annals  of  his  times  record  his 
life  in  the  nation's  history.  He  is  enshrined  in  affectionate  mem- 
ory so  long  as  memory  shall  last. 

SPEECH  OF  CHAKLES  L.  CAPEN  AT  BAB  MEETING 

When  I  was  a  boy  and  in  my  early  manhood,  the  McLean 
County  Bar  consisted  of  old-time  country  lawyers,  one  of  the 
younger  being  Mr.  Stevenson.  These  lawyers  regarded  their 
profession  as  a  sacred  trust,  and  valued  it  chiefly  for  the  oppor- 
tunities it  gave  for  greater  service  to  the  community,  and  for 
the  honors  thereby  obtained.  They  were  active  leaders  in  what- 
ever tended  to  better  things.  The  public  welfare  and  prosper- 
ity were  their  chief  concern.  They  recognized  their  license  to 
practice  imposed  added  duties  and  believed  that  a  lawyer,  how- 
ever eminent  and  successful,  if  only  a  lawyer,  was  but  one-ninth 
of  a  man. 

Their  books  were  few,  but  these  were  fundamental,  read 
and  re-read  until  they  became  part  of  their  intellectual  being. 
They  applied  their  mental  powers  in  applying  these  principles 


ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON  6/ 

to  the  cases  in  hand,  and  thus  constantly  grew  in  scholarly 
strength  to  a  degree  we  of  later  days  can  hardly  appreciate. 

They  lived  up  to  high  ethical  ideals;  they  recognized  and 
obeyed  the  duty  of  fairness  and  courtesy  towards  all;  they  ap- 
preciated that  justice  is  ' '  the  chief  concern  of  man, ' '  and  that 
they  were  her  ministers. 

One  result  was  many  of  them  were  sought  as  leaders  in 
politics  and  as  office-holders.  The  people  trusted  and  relied 
upon  them.  We  do  not  read  of  corruption  in  campaigns  or  in 
office  in  those  days.  Upon  the  rostrum  great  questions  were 
discussed  by  candidates  and  others,  and  the  appeal  was  to  rea- 
son and  conscience.  Politics  then  was  regarded  "the  grand- 
est word  in  the  language,"  and  "the  politician  the  most  use- 
ful of  mankind." 

To  these  old-time  country  lawyers  we  owe  a  debt  we  should 
always  remember  with  gratitude.  They  held  the  foundations 
of  our  jurisprudence,  and  were  a  large  factor  in  bringing  about 
our  heritage.  It  is  eminently  true  of  them  that  "the  compara- 
tive civilization  of  a  country  can  be  measured  by  the  relative 
power  and  influence  of  its  bar." 

Another  characteristic  of  the  old-time  country  lawyer  was, 
he  was  a  student  in  solid  literature ;  in  history,  particularly  of 
his  own  country  and  state,  in  what  had  been  achieved  in  the 
past,  the  works  of  the  earlier  masters,  ancient  and  modern ;  in 
the  science  of  government,  the  biographies  of  great  men.  They 
knew  these  pursuits  were  necessary  for  the  adequate  study  and 
solution  of  present  problems.  In  all  this,  Mr.  Stevenson  was 
diligent  and  thoro.  Especially  in  his  later  years,  there  was  not 
any  one  in  the  United  States  who  had  a  prof  ounder  or  wider 
knowledge  of  men  and  measures,  of  the  philosophy  of  public 
affairs  and  acquaintance,  largely  personal,  of  the  publicists, 
than  had  he.  This  not  only  gave  him  great  help  in  official  life, 
but  developed  him  as  a  lawyer. 

We,  the  later  generation  of  lawyers,  have  different  ideals, 
with  the  consequence  that  the  community  does  not  have  the 
same  confidence  or  respect  for  us  our  predecessors  enjoyed. 
And  so  we  shall  not  do  Mr.  Stevenson  full  justice  when  memory 
recalls  the  high  rank  of  Mr.  Stevenson  as  a  lawyer,  unless  we 
bear  in  mind  he  was  one  of  the  truest  examples  of  the  old-time 
country  lawyer;  or  when  we  think  of  his  labors  and  achieve- 
ments in  public  life,  unless  we  recognize  he  was  a  politician  of 
the  old  school,  with  its  lofty  and  ennobling  standards. 


68  ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON 


RESOLUTIONS 

IN  THE  JOURNAL  OF  THE  PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  CITY  COUNCIL 
OF  CHICAGO  FOR  THE  REGULAR  MEETING  HELD  JUNE  15, 
IS  A  COMMUNICATION  FROM  MAYOR  HARRISON,  ADVISING 
THE  DEATH  OF  THE  HON.  ADLAI  E.  STEVENSON,  AND  REC- 
OMMENDING THE  ADOPTION  OF  A  RESOLUTION  OF  APPRE- 
CIATION OF  HIS  WORTH,  CHARACTER  AND  PUBLIC  SER- 
VICES. UNANIMOUS  CONSENT  WAS  GIVEN  FOR  THE  CON- 
SIDERATION OF  THE  RESOLUTION  AND  ALDERMAN  HEALY 
MOVED  THAT  IT  BE  ADOPTED.  THE  MOTION  WAS  CARRIED 
UNANIMOUSLY  BY  A  RISING  VOTE.  THE  TEXT  OF  THE 
RESOLUTION  WAS  AS  FOLLOWS: 

"Whereas,  The  Hon.  Adlai  E.  Stevenson,  former  vice-pres- 
ident of  the  United  States,  departed  this  life  in  this  city  on  the 
14th  day  of  June,  1914,  after  having  been  a  citizen  of  the  state 
of  Illinois  for  almost  half  a  century ;  and, 

"Whereas,  Gen.  Stevenson's  high  character  and  ability  and 
the  attractiveness  of  his  personality  were  recognized  thruout 
the  entire  nation  and  his  long  continued,  distinguished  and 
honorable  public  services  culminating  in  the  vice-presidency  of 
the  United  States  have  reflected  great  credit  upon  the  state  of 
Illinois;  and, 

"Whereas,  In  the  death  of  Gen.  Stevenson  the  state  of  Illi- 
nois has  lost  one  of  her  most  honored  and  distinguished  citi- 
zens; now,  therefore,  be  it 

' '  Resolved,  That  the  city  of  Chicago,  by  its  council,  hereby 
expresses  its  high  appreciation  of  the  character,  worth  and  pub- 
lic services  of  the  late  Gen.  Stevenson  and  its  sense  of  loss  and 
sorrow  at  his  death,  and  its  sincere  sympathy  for  his  family 
in  their  bereavement ;  and  be  it  further 

"Resolved,  That  this  resolution  be  spread  upon  the  records 
of  the  city  council  and  that  a  copy  thereof  suitably  engrossed 
be  forwarded  to  Gen.  Stevenson's  family." 


RESOLUTIONS  OF  THE  BOARD  OF  SUPERVISORS  OF  McLEAN 
COUNTY: 

"Whereas,  during  the  last  month,  the  final  summons  has 
called  from  earth  our  illustrious  townsman,  Adlai  E.  Stevenson, 
who  closed  a  matchless  career  full  of  honor  and  rich  in  all  of 
the  attributes  of  exalted  manhood — a  career  notable  alike  for 
its  purity,  energy  and  statesmanlike  ability;  and 

"Whereas,  he  occupied  many  posts  within  the  gift  of  his 
country,  from  prosecuting  attorney,  back  in  his  young  manhood 
at  Metamora,  to  the  office  of  vice-president  of  our  great  nation, 


ADLAI  EWINQ  STEVENSON  69 

and  discharged  the  duties  of  all  these  offices  with  that  fidelity 
to  the  public  welfare  that  is  an  essential  to  the  perpetuation  of 
the  republic,  and  tho  many  differed  with  him  politically,  yet 
as  a  man  in  the  best  and  widest  sense  he  had  the  highest 
respect  of  all,  and  measured  up  to  that  high  standard  which  we 
point  to  as  an  ideal ;  and, 

"Whereas,  in  his  death  our  city,  county,  state  and  nation  has 
sustained  the  loss  of  one  of  its  most  loved  and  honored  sons, 
and  we,  in  McLean  county,  feel  his  departure  in  a  closer  and 
deeper  sense — for  he  was  one  of  us  in  spirit  and  in  truth ;  there- 
fore, be  it 

"Resolved,  that  as  a  mark  of  the  esteem  in  which  Adlai  E. 
Stevenson  was  held  by  this  honorable  body,  and  the  people  of 
the  community,  that  we  spread  upon  the  records  of  this  body 
this  brief  appreciation  of  his  great  worth,  his  upright  life  and 
his  masterful  attainments,  and,  be  it  further 

"Resolved,  that  we  extend  our  condolences  to  his  family, 
and  that  copies  of  these  resolutions  be  furnished  to  them. ' ' 

Dated  at  Bloomington,  111.,  this  25th  day  of  June,  1914. 

JACOB  MARTENS, 
D WIGHT  E.  FEINK. 

TELEGRAM  FROM  PRESIDENT  WILSON 

Washington,  D.  C. — Mrs.  Wilson  joins  me  in  offering  to  you 
and  the  members  of  your  family  our  deepest  sympathy  in  your 
hour  of  sorrow.  May  the  memory  of  your  father's  distinguished 
service  to  the  state  and  nation  go  far  to  mitigate  the  loss  you 
have  sustained. — Woodrow  Wilson. 

AN  APPRECIATION  BY  THE  SECRETARY  OF  STATE  BRYAN 

The  death  of  ex- Vice-president  Stevenson  removes  from  the 
political  life  of  the  nation  one  of  the  great  democrats  of  this 
generation,  a  man  of  high  character  and  of  the  broadest  sympa- 
thies. He  used  his  rare  ability  and  rich  experience  on  the  side 
of  the  people.  To  the  sturdy  qualities  of  an  enlightened  states- 
man he  added  the  charms  of  a  fascinating  personality.  His 
multitude  of  friends  share  the  sorrow  that  overwhelms  his  family. 
We  shall  not  see  his  like  again. 

1892  - 1896 

After  an  absence  of  four  years  from  Washington,  Mr.  Stev- 
enson returned  to  the  capital  as  presiding  officer  of  the  senate 
on  March  4,  1893.  He  recalled  with  pleasure  the  fact  that  dur- 
ing the  entire  time  of  his  service  as  vice-president,  no  decision 
of  his  as  presiding  officer  was  ever  reversed  by  the  senate. 


7<D  ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON 

Twice  only  was  there  an  appeal  from  his  decisions  and  in  both 
cases  the  decision  of  the  chair  was  sustained  by  the  three- 
fourths  vote. 

Upon  the  wall  of  Mr.  Stevenson's  library  hangs  the  farewell 
letter  addressed  to  him  on  his  retiring  as  presiding  officer  of  the 
senate.  This  letter  bears  the  signature  of  every  senator  then  in 
that  body.  The  body  of  the  letter  was  written  by  Senator  George 
F.  Hoar,  of  Massachusetts,  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  winning 
men  that  he  had  ever  known,  said  Mr.  Stevenson.  He  was  the 
worthy  successor  to  Daniel  Webster  as  senator. 

U.  S.  SENATE'S  LETTER  TO  MR.  STEVENSON 

UNITED  STATES  SENATE 

Washington,  D.  C.,  Feb.  27,  1897. 
Hon.  Adlai  Stevenson. 

Sir :  The  discharge  of  the  important  duties  incident  to  your 
great  office  as  President  of  the  Unites  States  Senate  has,  for  the 
last  four  years,  brought  us  into  an  association  with  you  very 
close  and  constant. 

During  this  long  period  we  have  observed  the  signal  abil- 
ity, fidelity  and  impartiality,  as  well  as  the  uniform  courtesy 
and  kindness  toward  every  member  of  this  body,  which  have 
characterized  your  official  action. 

Your  prompt  decision,  dignified  bearing,  just  interpretation 
and  enforcement  of  the  Rules  of  this  Chamber  have  very  much 
aided  us  in  our  deliberations,  and  have  won  from  us  an  ac- 
knowledgment of  that  high  respect  and  warm  personal  esteem 
always  due  to  the  conscientious  performance  of  public  duty. 

Desiring  to  give  you  some  expression  of  these  sentiments, 
and  to  testify  our  appreciation  of  your  valuable  services  to  the 
Senate  and  the  country,  we  take  pleasure  in  tendering  you  the 
accompanying  set  of  silver  as  a  memento  of  our  continued 
friendship  and  regard. 

MR.  STEVENSON'S  FAREWELL  ADDRESS  BEFORE  THE  SENATE. 
ON  THE  OCCASION  OF  THE  HON.  A.  E.  STEVENSON'S  RE- 
TIREMENT FROM  THE  VICE  PRESIDENCY,  MARCH  4,  1897,  HE 
DELIVERED  THE  FOLLOWING  FAREWELL  ADDRESS  BEFORE 
THE  SENATE,  GIVING  HIS  VIEWS  REGARDING  THE  VICE 
PRESDENCY.  HE  SAID  IN  PART: 

"Chief  among  the  favors  political  fortune  has  bestowed 
upon  me,  I  count  that  of  having  been  the  associate — and  known 
something  of  the  friendship — of  the  men  with  whom  I  had  so 
long  held  official  relation  in  this  chamber.  To  have  been  the 
presiding  officer  of  this  august  body  is  an  honor  of  which  even 


ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON  ft 

the  most  illustrious  citizen  might  be  proud.  I  am  persuaded 
that  no  occupant  of  this  chair,  during  the  one  hundred  and 
eight  years  of  our  constitutional  history,  ever  entered  on  the 
discharge  of  the  duties  pertaining  to  this  office  more  deeply 
impressed  with  a  sense  of  the  responsibilities  imposed,  or  with 
a  higher  appreciation  of  the  character  and  dignity  of  the  great 
legislative  assembly. 

"During  the  term  just  closing  questions  of  deep  import  to 
political  parties  and  to  the  country  have  here  found  earnest  and 
at  times  passionate  discussion.  The  chamber  has  indeed  been 
the  arena  of  great  debate.  The  record  of  four  years  of  parlia- 
mentary struggles,  of  masterful  debates,  of  important  legisla- 
tion, is  closed  and  passes  now  to  the  domain  of  history. 

"I  think  I  can  truly  say,  in  the  words  of  a  distinguished 
predecessor, '  In  the  discharge  of  my  official  duties  I  have  known 
no  cause,  no  party,  no  friend. '  It  has  been  my  endeavor  justly 
to  interpret  and  faithfully  to  execute  the  rules  of  the  senate.  At 
times  the  temptation  may  be  strong  to  compass  partisan  ends 
by  a  disregard  or  a  perversion  of  the  rules.  Yet  I  think  it  safe 
to  say  the  result,  however  salutary,  will  be  dearly  purchased 
by  a  departure  from  the  method  prescribed  by  the  senate  for 
its  own  guidance.  A  single  instance  as  indicated  might  prove 
the  forerunner  of  untold  evils. 

"It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  rules  governing  this 
body  are  founded  deep  in  human  experience ;  that  they  are  the 
result  of  centuries  of  tireless  effort  in  legislative  hall,  to  con- 
serve, to  render  stable  and  secure  the  rights  and  liberties  which 
have  been  achieved  by  conflict.  By  its  rules  the  senate  wisely 
fixes  the  limits  to  its  own  power.  Of  those  who  clamor  against 
the  senate  and  its  mode  of  procedure  it  may  be  truly  said, 
'  They  know  not  what  they  do. '  In  this  chamber  alone  are  pre- 
served, without  restraint,  two  essentials  of  wise  legislation  and 
of  good  government — the  right  of  amendment  and  of  debate. 
Great  evils  often  result  from  hasty  legislation,  rarely  from  the 
delay  which .  follows  full  discussion  and  deliberation.  In  my 
humble  judgment  the  historic  senate,  preserving  the  unre- 
stricted right  of  amendment  and  debate,  maintaining  intact  the 
time-honored  parliamentary  methods  and  the  amenities  which 
unfailingly  secure  action  after  deliberation,  possesses  in  our 
scheme  of  government  a  value  which  cannot  be  measured  by 
words.  The  senate  is  a  perpetual  body.  In  the  terse  words  of 
an  eminent  senator  now  present, '  the  men  who  framed  the  con- 
stitution had  studied  thoroly  all  former  attempts  at  Republi- 
can government.'  History  was  strewn  with  the  wrecks  of  un- 
successful democracies.  Some  time  usurpation  of  the  executive 
power  had  brought  popular  governments  to  destruction.  To 
guard  against  these  dangers,  they  placed  their  chief  hope  in  the 


72  ADLAI  EWINQ  STEVENSON 

senate.  The  senate  which  was  organized  in  1789,  at  the  inaug- 
uration of  the  government,  abides  and  will  continue  to  abide, 
one  and  the  same  body,  until  the  republic  itself  shall  be  over- 
thrown or  time  shall  be  no  more. 

"Twenty-four  senators  who  have  occupied  seats  in  this 
chamber  during  my  term  of  office  are  no  longer  members  of 
this  body.  Five  of  that  number — Stanford,  Colquit,  Vance, 
Stockbridge  and  Wilson — 'shattered  with  the  contentions  of 
the  great  hall,'  full  of  years  and  of  honors,  have  passed  from 
earthly  scenes.  The  fall  of  the  gavel  will  conclude  the  long  and 
honorable  terms  of  service  of  other  senators,  who  will  be  borne 
in  kind  remembrance  by  their  associates  who  remain. 

' '  I  would  do  violence  to  my  feelings  if  I  failed  to  express  my 
thanks  to  the  officers  of  this  body  for  the  fidelity  with  which 
they  have  discharged  their  important  duties  and  for  the  kindly 
assistance  and  for  the  unfailing  courtesy  of  which  I  have  been 
the  recipient." 

ME.  STEVENSON'S  PORTRAIT  UNVEILED  BLOOMINGTON, 
NOVEMBER  26,  1914 

In  the  presence  of  several  hundred  people,  filling  all  the 
available  space  of  the  reading  room  and  the  art  annex  of  the 
Public  Library,  the  curtain  was  withdrawn  on  Thanksgiving 
afternoon  from  the  life-sized  oil  portrait  of  the  late  Adlai  E. 
Stevenson.  Coincident  with  the  formal  unveiling  of  this  work 
as  a  permanent  feature  of  the  Russell  art  room,  there  were  de- 
livered a  number  of  short  addresses  from  citizens  who  had 
known  Mr.  Stevenson  in  life,  recalling  some  of  the  outstanding 
features  of  his  notable  career. 

The  ceremony  of  the  afternoon  was  strictly  an  affair  just 
among  ourselves.  It  was  a  tribute  of  Bloomingtonians  to  a  dis- 
tinguished Bloomingtonian,  and  it  had  more  of  the  personal  ele- 
ment in  it  than  characterized  the  more  formal  eulogies  pro- 
nounced at  the  services  immediately  following  Mr.  Stevenson 's 
death  last  June. 

Immediately  following  the  brief  talks  by  several  citizens  the 
company  of  listeners  gathered,  standing,  in  the  art  room  itself, 
and  centered  their  gaze  upon  the  center  of  the  east  wall,  where 
was  draped  a  blue  curtain.  Rev.  J.  N.  Elliott,  who  had  acted  as 
master  of  ceremonies,  then  introduced  Adlai  E.  Stevenson,  Jr., 
son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lewis  G.  Stevenson,  and  grandson  of  the 
man  in  whose  honor  the  meeting  was  held.  Young  Stevenson 
slowly  pulled  the  cord  which  withdrew  the  curtain  from  the 
portrait,  displaying  the  painting  set  in  a  strong  light.  As  the 
familiar  features  of  Mr.  Stevenson  were  shown  there  were  quiet 
yet  sincere  expressions  of  admiration  for  the  masterly  quality 
of  the  work. 


ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON  73 

The  portrait  shows  Mr.  Stevenson  as  Bloomington  knew 
him  in  the  vigor  of  his  manhood,  during  the  last  quarter  cen- 
tury of  his  life.  Mr.  Arvid  Nyholm,  the  painter,  caught  the 
spirit  of  the  man  in  admirable  form.  The  expression  and  pose 
are  perfect. 

While  the  audience  was  standing  taking  its  first  view  of 
the  unveiled  portrait  Miss  Nellie  Parham  read  the  following 
letter,  written  by  Mr.  Stevenson  in  answer  to  her  query  last 
winter  on  behalf  of  the  citizens,  as  to  whether  he  would  consent 
to  the  proposition  for  having  his  portrait  painted  and  hung  in 
the  library: 

Bloomington,  111.,  Feb.  10,  1914. 
Dear  Miss  Parham: 

Your  very  kind  letter  just  received.  I  am  deeply  touched 
by  your  suggestion  as  to  my  portrait.  I  can  only  say  that  what- 
ever my  friends  do  in  the  matter  will  be  to  me  a  gratification  to 
the  last. 

Again  thanking  you  and  with  the  kindest  regards  to  your 
mother  and  sister,  I  remain, 

Your  friend, 

ADLAI  E.  STEVENSON. 

THE  PERSONAL  TRIBUTES 

The  formal  ceremonies  of  the  afternoon  were  begun  at  3 :30 
by  Rev.  J.  N.  Elliott,  pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  church, 
of  which  Mr.  Stevenson  was  a  member.  Dr.  Elliott  explained 
in  brief  the  significance  of  the  occasion  and  then  introduced 
one  after  another  Hon.  James  S.  Ewing,  Governor  Joseph  W. 
Fifer,  Mrs.  Sarah  Fitzwilliam,  Mrs.  M.  T.  Scott  and  Rev.  Mar- 
tin D.  Hardin,  each  of  whom  spoke  briefly  sentiments  of  appre- 
ciation of  Mr.  Stevenson's  life  and  character. 

MR.  EWING  SPEAKS 

Hon.  James  S.  Ewing  was  the  first  speaker  of  the  afternoon, 
and  he  said  in  part : 

"Mr.  Stevenson  and  I  were  fast  friends  all  of  our  lives.  As 
well  as  being  a  kinsman,  we  were  always  associated  in  our 
everyday  and  business  life.  We  lived  in  adjoining  houses  when 
boys,  went  to  school  together,  were  classmates,  in  business  to- 
gether and  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  were  law  partners.  He 
never  did  any  business  whatever,  great  or  small,  that  I  did  not 
know  something  of  it  in  some  way ;  we  always  consulted  each 
other  and  exchanged  confidences  and  suggestions.  He  was  pos- 
sessed of  sterling  qualities  and  worth  to  the  community  that 


74  ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON 

honors  his  memory.  He  kept  the  faith,  and  fought  a  good  fight 
in  every  respect.  He  kept  his  faith  in  God  and  the  church,  in 
man  and  in  himself.  He  made  friends  wherever  he  went,  and, 
most  of  all,  he  kept  them,  and  could  there  be  a  nobler  tribute 
paid  to  any  man  than  the  citizens  of  Bloomington  today  are 
paying?  >  His  portrait  is  placed  in  the  art  department  of  the 
public  library,  where  it  may  be  viewed  by  generations  to  come, 
who  will  no  doubt  study  the  noble  face  and  read  in  it  the  noble 
character  of  the  man  whom  Bloomington  honors.  How  true 
the  quotation  and  how  it  applies  to  Mr.  Stevenson,  'A  good 
name  is  rather  to  be  chosen  than  great  riches,'  and  his  was  a 
name  without  blemish  and  spotless  in  uprightness  and  integ- 
rity." 

GOVERNOR  FIFER'S  REMARKS 

Hon.  Joseph  W.  Pifer,  a  life-long  friend  and  near  neighbor 
of  Mr.  Stevenson,  said : 

"I  am  glad  indeed  to  be  here  on  this  most  interesting  occa- 
sion. I  am  glad  of  this  opportunity  to  voice  my  appreciation  of 
the  high  character  and  standing  of  my  old  neighbor  and  friend, 
who  has  past  on  to  try  the  realities  of  another  world. 

"Mr.  Stevenson's  career  was  eminently  successful.  From 
humble  beginning,  without  wealthy  and  influential  friends  to 
urge  him  forward,  he  climbed  step  by  step  until  he  reached  the 
second  highest  position  in  the  gift  of  the  most  enlightened  and 
progressive  people  in  the  world.  He  held  many  places  of  trust 
and  confidence,  the  duties  of  which  he  discharged  with  singu- 
lar fidelity  and  ability.  Thruout  his  long  and  busy  life  he  en- 
joyed the  confidence  of  the  people  in  an  unusual  degree,  and 
that  confidence  he  never  violated  or  betrayed.  His  whole  life 
emphasizes  the  fact  that  the  basis,  the  indispensable  basis,  of  all 
true  greatness  is  integrity  of  character,  and  that  without  it  all 
seeming  success  will  turn  to  ashes  at  last. 

' '  Great  as  Mr.  Stevenson  was  as  a  public  man  and  a  states- 
man ;  distinguished  as  a  wit  and  orator  as  we  know  him  to  have 
been,  it  was  at  his  own  fireside,  surrounded  by  those  whom  he 
most  tenderly  loved,  that  he  showed  those  rare  qualities  of  love 
and  sympathy  which  endeared  him  to  us  all. 

"I  knew  Mr.  Stevenson  intimately  for  nearly  fifty  years, 
and  during  the  greater  portion  of  that  time  a  warm  personal 
friendship  existed  between  us,  which  admitted  of  no  secrets. 
The  memory  of  this  friendship  I  shall  cherish,  while  I  live,  as  a 
most  sacred  possession. 

"The  gift  of  this  beautiful  portrait  by  the  good  people  of 
Bloomington  emphasizes  in  a  more  emphatic  manner  than  any 
words  of  mind  can  do,  the  tender  and  affectionate  regard  in 
which  he  was  held  by  this  entire  community. 


ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON  75 

' '  The  memory  of  our  friend  will  remain  with  us  to  the  end, 
and  as  the  years  come  and  go,  there  are  those  who  will  turn 
aside  from  the  busy  walks  of  life  to  plant  a  flower  and  shed  a 
tear  upon  his  grave.  We  believe,  too,  as  coining  generations 
look  upon  this  beautiful  portrait,  and  call  to  mind  his  life  of 
sacrifice  and  service,  they  will  receive  new  inspiration  and  hope 
in  the  performance  of  life's  duties." 

MRS.  SCOTT'S  TRIBUTE 

"Mr.  Stevenson's  career  is  proof  of  the  fact  that  in  this 
great  republic,  even  in  the  whirl  and  swirl  of  political  life — vir- 
tue and  kindliness  and  disinterested  devotion  to  duty  are  still 
the  best  means  of  rising  to  civic  distinction  and  preeminence. 

"But  by  those  of  us  who  knew  Mr.  Stevenson  intimately 
and  personally,  he  is  remembered  now,  not  as  congressman, 
cabinet  officer,  or  vice-president,  but  as  a  beloved  friend  and 
kinsman,  whose  loyalty  of  heart,  geniality  of  spirit  and  incom- 
parable charm  of  speech  and  manner,  made  his  presence  a  con- 
stant delight  and  benediction. 

"J^shines,  in  his  famous  argument  against  granting  the 
crown  to  Demosthenes — summing  up  the  whole  matter  said : 
'  Most  of  all,  fellow  citizens,  if  your  sons  ask  whose  example  they 
shall  imitate,  what  will  you  say  ?  For  you  know  well,  it  is  not 
music,  nor  the  gymnasium,  nor  the  schools  that  mould  young 
men,  it  is  much  more  the  public  proclamations,  the  public  ex- 
ample. *  *  *  Beware,  therefore,  Athenians,  remembering 
posterity  will  rejudge  your  judgment,  and  that  the  character 
of  a  city  is  determined  by  the  character  of  the  men  it  crowns." 

"From  this  point  of  view,  Bloomington  is  to  be  congratu- 
lated upon  the  fact  that  in  Mr.  Stevenson  she  adds  a  shining 
name  to  the  list  of  her  distinguished  sons,  whose  honors  were 
never  sullied  by  any  unworthy  deed,  and  whose  power  was 
never  used  except  to  advance  the  cause  of  right,  and  to  bring 
peace  and  happiness  to  all  those  within  the  radius  of  their 
influence. 

' '  This  is  no  time  to  mourn  his  passing.  Rather  today,  as  we 
unveil  this  beautiful  portrait  in  the  city  which  he  loved — we, 
who  so  loved  him,  lift  up  our  hearts  in  deep  thanksgiving,  that 
to  us  was  vouchsafed  the  privilege  of  his  friendship  and  com- 
panionship ;  that  to  us  there  remains  the  abiding  inspiration  of 
his  memory,  the  afterglow  of  a  luminous  life. 

"Identified  with  the  grand  state  of  his  adoption,  his  blood 
full  of  its  spirit — his  heart  beat  and  burned  to  the  music  of  its 
greatness.  He  glowed  with  pride  in  its  truly  great  people,  and 
their  historic  achievements  in  every  province  of  human  activ- 
ity. We,  who  in  life  were  close  to  him,  are  grateful  to  those 
who  have  done  him  such  honor  in  word  and  deed. ' ' 


76  ADLAI  EWINQ  STEVENSON 

MRS.  FITZWILLIAM'S  TRIBUTE 

Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Raymond  Fitzwilliam,  for  many  years  super- 
intendent of  the  public  schools  of  Bloomington,  delivered  a  feel- 
ing tribute  to  her  lifelong  friend.  She  said  that  the  qualities 
which  most  stand  out  in  Mr.  Stevenson's  life  are  these:  Upright- 
ness, fidelity  to  his  trusts,  steadfastness,  kindly  sympathy,  and  a 
perpetual,  unclouded,  sunny  cheerfulness.  He  never  obtruded 
his  occasional  hours  of  sadness  upon  others.  His  face  never 
showed  the  darker  side  of  life,  nor  his  voice,  nor  his  step,  nor 
his  demeanor. 

As  we  recall  again  that  face  which  some  of  us  have  watched 
under  many  and  varied  circumstances  for  years  and  decades  of 
years,  do  we  ever  remember  when  it  was  not  to  us  and  to  all 
who  looked  upon  it  a  continuous  benediction?  He  was  a  man, 
modest,  generous,  just,  of  clean  hands  and  pure  heart,  self- 
denying  and  self-sacrificing,  of  integrity  so  absolute  that  the 
breath  of  suspicion,  even,  never  sullied  his  reputation.  He 
never  had  any  tracks  to  cover  up  nor  opinions  or  motives  to 
conceal.  He  was  charitable  to  the  needy,  forgiving  injuries 
and  injustices,  brave,  fearless,  heroic,  with  prudence  ever  gov- 
erning his  impulses  and  wisdom  ever  guiding  his  valor.  He 
was  true  to  his  friends,  true  to  his  country,  true  to  himself,  ever 
gratefully  recognizing  a  divine  aid  in  all  that  he  attempted  and 
accomplished.  For  several  years  while  I  was  acting  in  the  ca- 
pacity of  superintendent  of  your  city  schools,  your  distin- 
guished citizen,  Mr.  Stevenson,  was  a  member  of  the  board 
of  education.  I  have  often  in  the  hours  of  need  and  uncer- 
tainty sought  his  advice,  and  never  in  vain.  To  his  generous 
sympathy  and  wise  counsel  I  attribute  much  that  I  was  able 
to  accomplish.  Mr.  Stevenson  had  a  strong  penchant  for  polit- 
ical life  and  experiences.  Tho  of  a  variant  political  faith  with 
myself  I  was  always  gratified  when  he  won,  and  to  all  intents 
and  purposes  cast  my  vote  on  his  side.  As  the  presiding  officer 
of  the  United  States  senate  he  wrung  from  many  a  rock-ribbed 
Republican  of  old  New  England  their  sympathy  and  regard. 
He  was  always  a  lover  of  the  beautiful  in  art  and  possessed 
some  notable  historic  objects  of  superb  material.  But  neither 
this  refinement  of  taste  nor  his  daily  life  lifted  him  above  will- 
ing labor  and  the  tenderest  sympathy  for  those  who  were  rude 
and  unlettered. 

When  his  active  public  labors  were  ended  he  showed  himself 
beautifully  grand  and  heroic  by  returning  to  the  scenes  of  his 
manhood 's  prime.  Here  he  retired  for  the  last  time  to  his  family 
home  in  sight  of  the  spot  made  sacred  to  his  toils,  his  prayers, 
his  joys  and  triumphs.  Here  he  was  surrounded  by  his  old  as- 
sociates and  study,  responsibility  and  professional  activity. 


ADLAI  EWINQ  STEVENSON  77 

At  the  close  of  the  day  the  sun  flashes  its  radiance  upon  the 
clouds  above  and  beyond,  with  all  its  beauty  and  glory,  and  sud- 
denly sinks  behind  the  western  hills.  Serenely  to  his  final  rest 
Mr.  Stevenson  passed,  after  life's  blessings  all  enjoyed,  life's 
labors  done.  Bloomington,  his  home  city,  has  justly  thought  that 
the  work  of  his  life  was  not  wholly  local,  but  that  his  name  is  a 
treasure  also  of  the  state  and  nation,  his  death  a  common  be- 
reavement. 

The  canvas  on  which  his  face  is  so  truthfully  portrayed  is 
to  signalize  the  gratitude  of  the  generation  for  whom  he  la- 
bored and  whom  he  knew — a  commemorative  object.  This  mem- 
orial rite  is  not  a  tribute  of  official  service ;  it  is  an  homage  to 
personal  character.  The  citizens  of  Bloomington  have  given 
generously  for  this  grand  consummation.  As  you  stand  before 
this  rarely  perfect  portrait  of  this  townsman  and  distinguished 
friend,  we  believe  your  apostrophe  will  be:  "Oh,  that  those 
lips  had  language ;  Voice  only  fails. ' ' 

REV.  MARTIN  D.  HAKDIN'S  TBIBUTE 

Rev.  Martin  D.  Hardin,  of  Chicago,  son-in-law  of  Mr.  Stev- 
enson, said  that  he  appreciated  the  privilege  of  being  present 
and  the  courtesy  of  being  asked  to  make  brief  remarks.  This 
beautiful  picture  adds  to  our  many  causes  for  thanksgiving. 
In  the  first  place  we  all  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  Mr.  Nyholm 
for  this  brilliant  piece  of  work.  Solely  as  a  work  of  art,  it  is 
worthy  of  a  prominent  place  in  any  gallery.  But  the  artist  has 
given  us  not  merely  a  striking  piece  of  work  in  its  light  and 
tone  finish ;  he  has  caught  and  preserved  for  all  time  to  come 
the  spirit  and  expression  of  Mr.  Stevenson 's  noble  face.  Those 
who  come  after  us  looking  upon  this  picture  must  needs  know 
and  feel  something  of  what  manner  of  man  he  was,  and  as  we 
who  knew  him  look  there  it  seems  almost  as  if  he  himself  were 
about  to  speak  to  us. 

This  picture  is  again  beautiful  and  a  cause  of  gratitude  be- 
cause it  is  an  embodiment  of  a  beautiful  spirit  in  the  life  of  this 
community.  The  finished  life  is  never  the  product  of  isolation. 
It  is  possible  only  where  the  good  and  noble  find  an  answering 
nobility  in  other  lives.  We  cannot  imagine  a  Longfellow  with- 
out a  Cambridge,  or  an  Emerson  without  a  Boston.  Either  of 
these  men  in  some  other  environment  would  have  been  differ- 
ent men. 

Mr.  Stevenson,  with  the  passing  of  the  years,  developed  into 
one  of  the  rarest  and  most  winning  personalities  in  the  Amer- 
ican life  of  his  day,  and  something  of  this  was  due  to  the  fact 
that  he  lived  among  those  who  appreciated  him,  who  loved  him 
and  by  that  love  made  him  more  lovable.  Communities  do  not 
always  appreciate  their  most  gifted  sons.  I  have  been  reading 


78  ADLAI  EWINQ  STEVENSON 

the  life  and  letters  of  Goldwin  Smith,  who  spent  his  last  thirty 
years  in  Toronto.  Tho  his  was  one  of  the  most  richly  endowed 
intellects  of  his  age,  he  was  a  stranger  and  a  foreigner  in  his 
adopted  city.  He  was  a  lonely  man,  lonely  in  his  domestic  cir- 
cle, lonely  in  his  political  convictions,  lonely  in  his  ideals.  As 
he  sat  there  in  his  arm  chair  before  the  fire  you  felt  an  insulat- 
ing atmosphere  between  him  and  you.  Much  of  this  loneliness 
was  due  to  his  lot  falling  among  people  who  did  not  appreciate 
him  and  of  whom  he  could  say  to  them :  ' '  I  have  never  been  at 
home  among  this  people,  and  have  no  friends  here." 

As  I  look  today  at  this  beautiful  picture  I  cannot  help  but 
contrast  Goldwin  Smith's  bitterness  and  sadness  in  old  age 
with  the  growing  peace  and  happiness  and  mellow  charm,  like 
Indian  summer,  which  came  to  Mr.  Stevenson  as  his  evening 
years  were  spent  among  a  people  who  honored  him  and  his 
dear  life 's  companion. 

This  picture  is  beautiful  to  me  because  of  the  happiness 
which  its  planning  brought  to  Mr.  Stevenson  himself.  It  has 
never  been  my  privilege  to  know  a  more  appreciative  nature 
than  his.  He  never  forgot  or  overlooked  any  acts  of  courtesy 
and  he  never  took  them  as  if  they  were  his  due.  At  the  end 
of  his  life  he  had  a  child's  heart,  and  while  honor  and  favors 
were  often  bestowed  upon  him,  his  heart  never  grew  proud  or 
calloused,  but  responded  like  the  broad  prairies  about  us  with 
greater  wealth  and  bounty  to  every  shower  and  added  ray  of 
sunshine. 

He  never  tired  of  relating  the  worth  of  the  men  here  whom 
he  had  known  and  loved,  and  to  talk  to  him  was  to  see  and 
know  and  admire  Judge  David  Davis,  General  McNulta,  Mr. 
Williams,  Judge  Lawrence  Weldon,  nay  the  whole  Blooming- 
ton  bar  for  the  last  half  century,  or  to  feel  personal  acquaint- 
ance with  and  admiration  of  Matthew  Scott,  the  elder  Funks, 
Mr.  Kerrick,  Dr.  Dinsmore,  and  all  the  men  who  in  business  or 
professional  lines  helped  to  mold  the  delightful  city  which  he 
loved  as  no  other  spot  on  earth.  God  richly  endowed  him  with 
the  power  of  appreciation,  and  only  those  who  were  granted 
the  privilege  of  his  more  intimate  relation  could  ever  know 
how  dear  to  him  were  the  many  evidences  that  he  lived  among 
his  old  friends,  the  wine  of  whose  heart  bettered  with  the  pass- 
ing years.  It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  say  to  this  company 
that  among  the  countless  evidences  of  love  and  loyalty  by  the 
people  of  this  city,  nothing  ever  touched  him  more  deeply  or 
gave  him  greater  pleasure,  simply  because  it  was  a  beautiful 
kind  of  farewell  abiding  pledge  and  token  of  undying  love, 
than  the  movement  to  have  this  portrait  painted  and  hung  here 
in  the  public  library.  In  the  name  of  his  family,  let  me  deeply 
thank  all  who  have  had  any  part  in  its  conception  and  reali- 
zation. 


ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON  79 


PRESIDENT  JOHN  W.  COOK 

The  culminating  feature  of  the  sixteenth  annual  meeting  of 
the  Illinois  State  Historical  society  at  Springfield  was  an  address 
by  President  John  W.  Cook  of  the  Northern  Illinois  State  Normal 
school,  DeKalb,  111.,  on  "The  Life  and  Services  of  Adlai  E. 
Stevenson."  President  Cook  from  early  manhood  was  a  close 
friend  and  warm  admirer  of  Mr.  Stevenson,  and  spoke  with 
authority,  and  the  address  will  be  a  valued  addition  to  the  ar- 
chives of  the  society.  Following  are  excerpts  from  President 
Cook's  address: 

"I  trust  that  I  may  be  pardoned  a  word  by  way  of  intro- 
duction. In  centering  our  thought  upon  a  single  character  and 
endeavoring  to  render  him  that  recognition  to  which  he  is 
justly  entitled  it  is  wise  to  discover  the  especial  field  of  service 
which  gave  him  his  opportunity  and  which  furnishes  the  stand- 
ards for  the  judgments  of  his  fellow  men.  If  he  has  won  only 
local  distinction  one  set  of  estimates  will  be  employed.  If  the 
field  is  coterminous  with  that  of  the  state  another  standard 
must  be  employed.  If  he  has  risen  to  national  prominence  it  is 
evident  that  he  must  be  viewed  from  a  wider  angle,  as  he  will 
be  called  upon  to  balance  larger  counterweights  in  the  scales 
that  are  held  by  the  blindfolded  goddess.  Moreover,  as  men 
succeed  men  in  places  of  great  honor  and  corresponding  re- 
sponsibilities there  are  inevitable  comparisons  and  consequent 
judgments.  Let  us  trust  that  the  volumes  that  issue  from  this 
admirable  society  shall  be  far  more  than  mere  tributes  of  af- 
fection, manifestations  of  local  pride,  or  exhibitions  of  indis- 
criminate hero  worship.  They  should  have  all  of  the  reliability 
possible  under  condition  of  nearness,  intimate  association,  and 
warm  personal  regard.  The  subject  of  this  brief  sketch  was 
distinguished  locally ;  he  attained  such  prominence  in  the  state 
of  his  adoption  as  to  be  the  candidate  of  his  party  for  the  most 
conspicuous  office  within  gift;  he  twice  represented  his  dis- 
trict in  the  national  congress;  his  supreme  achievement  was 
his  promotion  to  a  position  in  which  only  a  single  life  inter- 
vened between  him  and  the  noblest  political  dignity  within  the 
gift  of  men.  It  thus  appears  that  he  is  to  be  estimated  not  from 
a  single  point  of  view  but  from  many  and  it  is  in  these  suc- 
cessive stages  of  final  development  that  we  are  to  see  the  ex- 
planation of  the  ultimate  character  that  conducted  itself  with 
such  charm,  dignity  and  grace  as  to  win  the  admiration  of  all 
who  knew  him. 

Adlai  Ewing  Stevenson  was  born  in  Christian  county,  Ken- 
tucky, on  the  twenty-third  day  of  October,  1835.  He  belonged 
by  descent  to  the  Scotch-Irish  race  and  was  thus  handicapped 
at  the  beginning  of  his  career  with  the  responsibility  of  living 
up  to  the  repute  of  that  distinguished  body  of  immigrants. 


8O  ADLAI  EW1NQ  STEVENSON 

They  were  lowland  Scotch  by  descent  and  Irish  by  territorial 
location.  "Within  the  three-quarters  of  a  century  between  1650 
and  1725  there  was  a  liberal  emigration  of  that  vigorous  stock 
from  their  ancient  home  to  the  province  of  Ulster,  in  Ireland. 
There  was  never  a  drop  of  Irish  blood  in  their  veins.  Indeed, 
the  main  relation  which  these  two  peoples  bore  to  each  other 
was  that  of  perpetual  hostility.  They  were  at  one  in  their  ad- 
miration of  the  militant  spirit  and  won  at  least  the  respect  of 
each  other  as  foemen  worthy  of  their  steel.  They  were  the 
steadfast  followers  of  the  reformation  leaders,  adored  Calvin 
and  Knox,  were  Presbyterians  to  a  man,  took  their  convictions 
of  whatever  character  thoroughly  to  heart  and  actually  lived 
upon  their  religious  ideas.  Persecution  by  those  about  them 
led  them  to  abandon  their  old  home  and  to  take  chances  with 
another  stock  rather  than  to  be  in  a  perpetual  quarrel  with 
their  kin-folk.  Wherever  they  have  gone  in  the  new  world 
they  have  illustrated  in  a  new  way  the  value  of  adherence  to 
great  ideas  in  all  of  the  real  issues  of  life.  So  remarkable  has 
been  the  career  of  these  men  of  Ulster  that  whenever  there  has 
appeared  a  great  leader  in  our  American  life  there  has  been  a 
half  suspicion  that  if  you  were  to  scratch  his  skin  you  would 
find  a  Scotch-Irishman  under  it.  It  would  burden  this  page  to 
mention  a  tithe  of  the  illustrious  names  that  grace  our  annals 
and  whose  bearers  claim  this  distinguished  descent. 

In  his  early  youth  his  parents  removed  from  Kentucky  to 
Illinois.  His  early  life  in  Kentucky,  his  family  training,  his 
return  to  the  home  of  his  childhood  and  the  associations  of  his 
college  life  at  a  highly  impressionable  age  taught  him  certain 
of  the  social  arts  that  are  more  notably  accented  and  more 
highly  prized  in  the  South  than  in  the  less  conventional  North. 
He  had  now  enjoyed  for  a  time  a  taste  of  those  liberating  cul- 
tures of  which  so  much  was  made  in  the  last  century  in  nearly 
or  quite  all  of  the  institutions  of  higher  training.  It  was  prob- 
ably due  to  this  happy  circumstance  that  he  developed  that  ex- 
treme fondness  for  the  noblest  literature  which  he  so  trans- 
parently displayed  through  the  years  of  his  intensest  activity 
and  which  he  so  freely  indulged  in  the  later  years  of  his  hon- 
orable retirement  from  public  duties.  To  the  end  of  his  long 
life  he  sought  the  companionship  of  books  and  thus  enjoyed 
the  ministry  of  those  rare  spirits  whose  luster  brightens  from 
age  to  age.  It  was  a  sobering  task  that  awaited  him,  but  it 
was  undertaken  courageously  and  accomplished  successfully. 
Who  shall  say  that  in  the  light  of  his  later  life  it  was  not  as 
well  as  to  have  lingered  in  those  academic  associations  that  are 
so  delightful  in  retrospect  but  not  always  so  tempering  in  their 
effects. 


ADLAI  EWINQ  STEVENSON  8 1 

As  this  young  man  stands  at  the  beginning  of  his  active 
professional  career  he  possesses  the  promise  and  potency  of 
what  he  was  to  become.  At  no  time  in  his  life  was  there  any 
striking  transformation  of  character.  He  exhibited  a  persistent 
growth  in  the  qualities  that  marked  him  as  a  young  man.  To 
one  who  has  spent  his  life  in  attempting  to  aid  young  people 
in  the  realization  of  their  inherent  possibilities  a  study  of  this 
sort  is  peculiarly  engaging.  Inheritance,  early  environment, 
the  later  play  of  social  forces,  the  awakening  of  new  ambitions, 
the  coming  to  consciousness  of  already  formed  preferences  of 
alignment — preferences  unconsciously  formed  ordinarily — are 
full  of  meaning.  Throughout  my  long  acquaintance  with  him 
I  was  always  impressed  with  the  shaping  influences  of  these 
experiences  upon  him.  At  twenty-three  he  was  a  striking  figure 
physically.  He  had  an  erect  carriage,  a  grace  of  movement  that 
appeared  in  an  alert  and  characteristic  walk,  a  peculiarly  at- 
tractive courtliness  of  manner,  that  accounted  in  large  part  for 
his  remarkable  personal  popularity,  and  a  certain  dignity  of 
character  that  suggested  a  sense  of  worth  and  self  respect. 

In  the  summer  of  1858  he  removed  to  Metamora,  the  county 
seat  of  an  adjoining  county,  where  he  was  to  remain  for  the 
succeeding  ten  years.  His  coming  into  the  little  community 
which  he  had  chosen  for  his  home  was  distinctly  an  event  in 
its  history.  Although  the  county  was  sparsely  settled  and 
schools  were  few  and  means  of  transportation  were  practically 
limited  to  the  saddle  horse  and  the  wagon,  there  was  a  good 
degree  of  intelligence,  a  native  shrewdness,  a  discriminating 
judgment  among  the  people.  Many  a  man  who  signed  his  name 
with  a  cross  held  not  inconsiderable  estates  that  he  had  won 
by  his  own  sagacity  and  was  regarded  with  warm  respect  by 
his  neighbors.  The  newspaper  and  the  book  were  yet  to  as- 
sume much  of  the  dignity  with  which  the  later  years  have 
crowned  them.  The  county  seat  was  several  miles  from  the 
nearest  railroad,  but  cases  were  not  unknown  to  its  tribunal 
that  attracted  to  the  little  village  the  ablest  lawyers  of  central 
and  northern  Illinois.  The  presiding  judges  were  capable  men 
and  well  versed  in  the  law.  Robert  G.  Ingersoll,  already  fa- 
mous for  the  brilliancy  of  his  wit,  the  eloquence  of  his  argu- 
ments and  the  breadth  of  his  legal  knowledge,  was  a  familiar 
figure  in  the  little  court  room.  One  Abraham  Lincoln,  who 
lived  at  the  capital  of  the  state  and  rode  the  Bloomington-Dan- 
ville  circuit,  with  David  Davis,  Leonard  Swett  and  others  of 
their  peers,  occasionally  found  himself  at  Metamora.  It  was  a 
good  place  for  the  young  man.  He  was  not  lacking  in  political 
partisanship  and  the  lines  were  sharply  drawn  in  the  intensity 
of  the  political  situation,  yet  he  was  so  amply  endowed  with 
tactfulness  and  kindliness  of  spirit  that  he  was  scarcely  less 


82  ADLAI  EWTNG  STEVENSON 

popular  with  his  political  opponents  than  with  his  political 
friends. 

It  would  have  been  a  most  interesting  experience  to  gather 
from  those  charming  visits  which  it  was  my  valued  privilege 
to  enjoy,  a  fuller  and  more  detailed  story  of  his  Metamora  days. 
In  his  "Something  of  Men  That  I  Have  Known,"  he  describes 
the  country  lawyer  of  three  score  years  ago.  Personally  he 
belonged  to  a  somewhat  later  period  yet  he  was  intimately  ac- 
quainted with  many  of  the  actors  and  throughout  understood 
the  spirit  of  the  time.  Books  were  few  and  were  the  constant 
companions  on  the  circuit.  The  modern  and  familiar  law  li- 
brary at  the  county  seat  may  have  been  a  dream  of  the  future 
but  it  was  not  a  reality  of  the  time.  Judges  and  lawyers  were 
alike  pilgrims  and  traveled  together  as  in  ancient  Canterbury 
days. 

The  coming  to  the  county  seat  of  a  group  of  eminent  attor- 
neys was  an  event  to  be  looked  forward  to  with  warm  interest. 
When  court  adjourned  for  the  day  and  the  wits  were  fore- 
gathered for  an  evening  of  social  enjoyment  there  was  a  rivalry 
quite  as  intense  as  that  of  the  court  room  but  it  was  far  more 
cordial.  Mr.  Stevenson's  remarkable  skill  as  a  social  enter- 
tainer must  have  been  acquired  in  large  part  in  the  charming 
encounters  of  those  historic  evenings. 

Fine  native  gifts,  a  clear  sense  of  their  worth,  the  discipline 
of  education,  the  dignity  of  service,  spotless  integrity,  an  un- 
tiring industry,  a  profound  respect  for  certain  fundamental 
convictions  that  the  race  has  built  into  the  substructure  of  a 
superior  society — these  are  elemental  qualities  that  underlie 
any  true  success.  And  these  are  qualities  that  were  easily  dis- 
tinguishable traits  in  the  possession  of  this  man  while  he  was 
yet  on  the  near  side  of  the  thirties,  the  time  when  men  ordi- 
narily have  only  begun  to  take  on  those  permanent  forms  which 
are  to  mark  them  throughout  their  lives. 

In  1866  occurred  the  crowning  event  of  his  life.  He  was 
married  to  Letitia  Green,  the  daughter  of  Lewis  Warner  Green, 
D.  D.  At  the  time  of  her  birth  her  father  was  president  of  the 
Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary,  at  Allegheny,  Pa.  While 
she  was  but  a  child  the  family  removed  to  Danville,  Ky.,  where 
Dr.  Green  became  the  president  of  Center  College.  It  was  while 
Mr.  Stevenson  was  a  student  at  that  institution  that  an  ac- 
quaintance began  which  ripened  into  affection  and  resulted  in 
the  marriage  of  these  congenial  spirits.  It  is  not  easy  to  speak 
of  this  gifted  woman  with  the  moderation  that  one  should  em- 
ploy to  avoid  seeming  extravagance  of  characterization.  She 
had  been  reared  in  a  cultivated  home.  The  doors  of  liberal  cul- 
ture had  therefore  been  open  to  her.  Her  life  from  childhood 
to  womanhood  had  been  spent  in  the  intellectual  atmosphere 


ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON  8$ 

of  a  college  community.  Her  associations  had  been  mainly 
with,  those  who  were  devoting  their  lives  to  the  acquisition  and 
enjoyment  of  the  finest  things  that  can  occupy  one's  attention. 
She  had  interested  herself  in  the  serious  and  solid  cultures 
rather  than  in  the  more  superficial  accomplishments  usually 
sought  by  those  who  anticipate  social  careers.  Her  experiences 
had  developed  that  sense  of  personal  dignity  and  worth  that 
are  the  crown  of  fine  womanhood.  She  was  simple  and  sincere 
and  able  to  appreciate  worth  wherever  it  might  manifest  it- 
self, though  clad  in  homespun  and  denied  the  cultural  disci- 
plines that  are  often  the  mark  of  gentle  breeding.  She  was 
abundantly  prepared  for  any  position  to  which  she  might  be 
called  in  the  large  range  of  our  American  life.  She  had  fol- 
lowed the  leadings  of  her  affections  and  had  linked  her  des- 
tinies with  those  of  this  young  man  who  was  making  a  notable 
place  for  himself  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  Like  him 
she  was  destined  to  distinguished  honors.  Like  him,  she  bore 
those  honors  with  that  modesty  and  charm  that  have  given 
her  a  permanent  and  revered  position  in  the  traditions  of  the 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution. 

It  was  shortly  after  the  resumption  of  his  interrupted 
Bloomington  life  that  I  came  to  know  him  and  that  a  friend- 
ship began  that  continued  to  the  end.  While  not  a  lawyer  I 
belonged  to  a  family  of  lawyers  and  that  helped  me  to  indulge 
my  fondness  for  their  companionship.  I  was  a  frequenter  of  the 
courts  and  a  seemingly  welcome  guest  at  their  offices.  It  was  a 
most  gratifying  fact  that  I  was  also  remembered  upon  those 
occasions  when  they  celebrated  their  social  inclinations  by  ban- 
quets and  similar  formalities.  I  was  thus  drawn  into  relations 
that  were  personally  delightful  and  that  gave  me  a  vantage 
ground  to  estimate  accurately  the  character  of  whom  I  am  try- 
ing to  write.  I  may  properly  add  that  I  was  never  a  member 
of  the  political  party  to  which  Mr.  Stevenson  belonged,  al- 
though I  cannot  recall  any  incident  in  which  that  was  a  matter 
of  the  slightest  significance  so  far  as  our  personal  relations 
were  concerned.  These  things  are  worth  saying,  perhaps,  as 
the  warmth  of  my  admiration  might  otherwise  be  explained  in 
part  by  political  considerations. 

These  were  charming  years  for  Mr.  Stevenson  from  1892  to 
the  close  of  the  Cleveland  administration.  One  dwells  with 
fond  delay  upon  the  ideal  harmony  of  the  man  and  the  place. 
His  courtliness  of  manner,  his  affectionate  nature,  his  genial 
wit,  his  incomparable  tact,  his  ripened  intellect,  his  matured 
judgment,  his  rich  experience  in  public  life — these  all  contri- 
buted to  the  production  of  a  presiding  officer  of  unsurpassed 
fitness  for  a  body  of  men  selected  for  the  supreme  legislative 


84  ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON 

dignity  in  our  system  of  government.  Nor  can  one  forget  that 
in  his  home  was  one  who  was  equally  fitted  to  bear  her  part 
in  meeting  the  social  demands  of  the  wife  of  the  vice  president 
of  the  United  States.  With  an  unaffected  dignity  that  came 
from  gentle  birth  and  noble  culture,  and  from  having  shared 
the  struggles  of  her  husband  in  his  memorable  ascent  from  his 
modest  beginnings  to  the  lines  of  succession  in  which  he  took 
his  place  among  the  illustrious  men  that  preceded  and  followed 
him,  she  shed  the  pure  lustre  of  her  charming  character  upon 
his  home  and  honored  him  by  her  ideals  of  womanly  worth. 

It  is  interesting  to  read  the  chapter  on  the  vice-presidency 
on  the  chatty  and  entertaining  book  to  which  reference  has 
been  made.  It  covers  a  bare  half-dozen  pages,  and  one  would 
not  suspect  its  author  of  having  been  one  of  those  of  whom  he 
wrote,  except  from  the  presence  of  the  brief  address  with  which 
he  closed  his  connection  with  the  distinguished  body,  over 
whose  deliberations  he  had  presided  for  a  quadrennium. 

Repeated  reference  has  here  been  made  to  "Something  of 
Men  I  Have  Known. ' '  This  is  Mr.  Stevenson 's  most  gracious 
gift  to  those  who  have  known  him  and  admired  him  and  who 
hold  him  in  affectionate  remembrance.  Its  pleasing  humor ;  its 
charming,  gossipy  style,  so  free  from  the  conventionalities  of 
historical  literature;  its  estimate  of  men  whose  names  are 
household  words,  as  determined  by  familiar  personal  contact; 
its  record  of  the  impressions  made  upon  his  mind  as  he  met 
these  men  in  the  freedom  of  personal  intercourse — these  fea- 
tures are  vivid  reminders  of  charming  visits  at  his  home,  where, 
in  the  seclusion  of  his  library,  his  talk  ran  like  a  rippling  brook 
that  sparkles  under  the  sunshine.  There  are  also  re-tellings 
of  old  traditions,  Flemish  pictures  of  quaint  characters,  real- 
istic sketches  of  early  experiences,  revealing  anecdotes,  that, 
like  flash-light  snap-shots,  caught  perishing  and  passing  in- 
cidents that  gave  vivid  interpretations  of  the  old  life  that  with- 
out them  could  not  be  adequately  understood.  In  my  treasure 
house  I  have  old  letters  from  old  friends  whose  voices  are  si- 
lent; pictures  of  faces  that  once  looked  into  mine,  memories 
of  rare  companionships  with  the  richness  of  incomparable  gems 
about  them.  This  volume  is  like  old  letters,  cherished  pictures, 
hallowed  memories. 

The  encomiums  that  were  called  forth  by  his  death  will  of 
themselves  fill  a  volume.  There  is  scant  room  for  them  here. 
They  have  one  burden  that  weighs  far  more  than  all  the  rest. 
It  is  of  supreme  interest  to  observe  that  when  the  end  has  come 
far  less  is  said  of  the  honors  that  he  won  at  the  bar;  of  the 
political  dignities  with  which  he  was  crowned,  than  of  the 
things  that  forever  abide.  It  is  so  charmingly  expressed  by 
Hon.  Proctor  Knott,  of  Kentucky,  long  an  intimate  associate, 
that  it  may  well  be  quoted. 


ADLAI  EWING   STEVENSON  85 

''Mr.  Stevenson  comes  as  near  filling  my  highest  ideal  of  a 
model  gentleman  as  anyone  that  I  have  ever  known.  I  do  not 
allude  to  his  attainments  as  a  lawyer,  to  his  ability  as  a  states- 
man, nor  to  any  of  these  varied  talents  which  have  given  him 
such  distinction  among  the  prominent  men  of  the  times.  These 
are  known  and  conceded  by  intelligent  people  everywhere.  I 
refer  to  the  gentle  virtues  so  constantly  illustrated  in  all  of  the 
relations  of  his  private  life — the  unaffected  kindness  of  disposi- 
tion, the  purity  of  thought,  the  guileless  candor,  the  fealty  to 
truth,  the  harmless  mirth,  the  forgetfulness  of  self,  the  tender 
regard  for  the  rights  and  feelings  of  others  and  the  genuine 
sympathy  with  all  around  him,  which  make  him  the  prince  of 
companions  and  the  paragon  of  friends,  which  clothe  his  pres- 
ence with  perpetual  sunshine  and  fill  his  household  with  do- 
mestic affection  and  happiness.  A  professed  believer  in  the 
sublime  truths  of  the  Christian  religion,  he  never  by  word  or 
deed  affords  grounds  for  even  a  suspicion  of  the  sincerity  of 
his  faith. ' '  There  is  more  to  the  same  effect.  This  tribute  to 
his  friend  was  not  written  by  Mr.  Knott  when  his  heart  was 
wrung  by  separation  but  years  before  the  shadows  grew  long 
toward  the  west. 

The  voice  of  the  press  was  musical  with  the  same  story. 
Those  who  stood  by  his  bier  to  speak  the  last  words  of  fare- 
well dwelt  finally  upon  the  same  theme.  And  now  that  the 
book  is  ended  and  that  the  hooded  angel  with  the  sleepy  pop- 
pies in  her  hand  has  clasped  the  ' '  brazen  covers ' '  and  that  the 
passions  of  men  have  died  away,  and  the  rivalries  are  for- 
gotten, and  the  ambitions  are  dropped  like  the  neglected  play- 
things of  a  child,  the  deep  conviction  of  the  supreme  value  of 
character  compels  the  reverent  attitude  of  silence.  And  so  it 
is  that  this  man  with  the  kind  heart  and  the  genial  face  and 
the  gentle  grace  of  courtesy,  with  the  honors  that  he  won  and 
with  the  affectionate  approval  of  his  fellow  men,  takes  his 
place  in  the  permanent  annals  of  his  time. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 

B.S84671  C002 

IN  MEMORIAY:  LETITIA  GREEN  STEVENSON,  AD 


